52d  Congress,)  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES.     J  Ex.  Doc. 
1st  Session.     j  {   No.  t>'3. 


HUDSON  EIYEE. 


LETTER 

FROM 

THE  ACTING  SECRETARY  OF  WAR, 

TRANSMITTING, 

With  a  letter  from  tlie  Chief  of  Engineers,  a  copy  of  the  report  of  the 
Board  of  Engineer  Officers  in  relation  to  improvement  of  the  navigation 
of  the  Hudson  River. 


January  5,  1892. — Referred  to  the  Committee  on  River  and  Harbors  and  ordered  to 

be  printed. 


War  Department, 
Washington,  December  8,  1891. 
Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  herewith  a  letter  from  the  Chief 
of  Engineer^  dated  November  20,  1891,  together  with  a  copy  of  report 
of  a  Board  of  Engineer  Officers,  dated  October  1,  1891,  appointed  in 
compliance  with  the  provisions  of  the  river  and  harbor  act  of  Sep- 
tember 19,  1890,  to— 

thoroughly  examine  the  obstructions  to  navigation  in  the  Hudson  River,  between 
New  York  City  and  the  State  dam  at  Troy,  New  York,  and  report  a  project  and  esti- 
mate of  the  cost  of  widening  and  deepening  said  river  between  New  York  City  and 
the  city  of  Albany,  and  also  between  New  York  City  and  the  State  dam  at  the  city 
of  Troy,  for  the  navigation  of  sea-going  vessels  drawing  20  feet  of  water,  and  also  a 
separate  estimate  of  the  expense  of  improving  the  river  between  Coxsaekie  and  the 
State  dam  at  Troy,  to  such  an  extent  as  to  secure  a  navigable  channel  12  feet  deep 
at  mean  low  water. 

The  views  expressed  in  the  report  of  the  Board  are  concurred  in  by 
the  Chief  of  Engineers  and  by  this  Department. 
Very  respectfully, 

L.  A.  Grant, 
Acting  Secretary  of  War. 

The  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Eepresem  atives. 


H.  Ex.  29  34 


2  HUDSON  RIVER. 

/  ^2e^      Office  of  the  Chief  of  Engineer s, 
ivn^Ojr  United  States  Army, 

Washington,  D.  C7.,  November  20,  1891. 
Sir  :  The  river  and  harbor  act  approved  September  19, 1890,  provides 
as  follows : 

That  the  Secretary  of  War  is  authorized  and  directed  to  appoint  a  board  of  three 
officers  of  the  Corps  of  Engineers,  United  States  Army,  whose  duty  it  will  be  to  thor- 
oughly examine  the  obstructions  to  navigation  in  the  Hudson  River,  between  New  York 
City  and  the  State  dam  at  Troy,  New  York,  and  report  a  project  and  estimate  of 
the  cost  of  widening  and  deepening  said  river  between  New  York  City  and  the  city 
of  Albany,  and  also  between  New  York  City  and  the  State  dam  at  the  city  of  Troy 
for  the  navigation  of  sea-going  vessels  drawing  20  feet  of  water,  and  also  a  separate 
estimate  of  the  expense  of  improving  the  river  between  Coxsackie  and  the  State  dam 
at  Troy,  to  such  an  extent  as  to  secure  a  navigable  channel  12  feet  deep  at  mean 
low  water.  Said  Board  shall  accompany  their  report  with  a  statement  as  to  the  use- 
fulness of  such  improvements  and  of  their  relations  and  value  to  commerce,  and  of 
the  advisability  of  entering  upon  the  same  at  this  time;  and  the  Secretary  of  War 
shall  transmit  said  reports  to  Congress  with  his  own  views  and  those  of  the  Chief  of 
Engineers,  United  States  Army,  thereon,  and  the  expenses  of  said  Board  shall  be  paid 
out  of  the  appropriation  made  in  this  act  for  the  improvement  of  the  Hudson  River, 
not  to  exceed  $10,000. 

The  Board  of  Engineers  authorized  and  directed  by  the  above  law 
has  completed  the  duty  assigned  it,  and  I  have  now  the  honor  to  sub- 
mit the  accompanying  copy  of  its  report  dated  October  1,  1891. 

Three  propositions  looking  to  improvement  of  the  navigation  of  the 
river  were  by  the  terms  of  the  act  to  be  considered  by  the  Board  and 
projects  with  estimates  of  cost  required  to  be  submitted. 

1.  Between  New  York  City  and  the  city  of  Albany,  for  the  naviga- 
tion of  sea-going  vessels  drawing  20  feet  of  water. 

2.  Between  New  York  City  and  the  State  dam  at  Troy,  for  the  navi- 
gation of  sea-going  vessels  drawing  20  feet  of  water. 

3.  Between  Coxsackie  and  the  State  dam  at  Troy,  for  navigable  chan- 
nel 12  feet  deep  at  mean  low  water. 

Upon  these  three  several  propositions,  the  Board,  after  full  and  care- 
ful consideration,  remarks  as  follows : 

Concerning  the  first  two — deep  channels  between  New  York  City  and 
Albany  and  between  New  York  City  and  Troy — 

The  Board  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  possible  benefits  to  commerce  to  be  derived 
from  the  proposed  improvement  for  vessels  drawing  20  feet  are  not,  under  existing 
conditions,  sufficient  to  justify  at  this  time  the  expenditure  necessary  to  make  such 
improvement. 

*#**##* 

The  estimates  of  cost  of  carrying  out  the  two  projects  contained  in  the  said  act, 
which  provide  for  widening  and  deepening  the  channels  between  New  York  City  and  the 
city  of  Albany  and  between  New  York  City  and  the  city  of  Troy,  for  the  navigation 
of  sea-going  vessels  drawing  20  feet  of  water,  are  $5,934,847.60  and  $19,507,832.74, 
respectively. 

Concerning  the  third — channel  12  feet  deep  between  Coxsackie  and 
the  State  dam  at  Troy — 

After  carefully  studying  the  wants  of  commerce,  the  Board  is  of  the  opinion  that 
the  third  project  contained  in  the  act  of  September  19,  1890,  which  provides  for  im- 
proving the  Hudson  River  "between  Coxsackie  and  the  State  dam  at  Troy  to  such 
an  extent  as  to  secure  a  navigable  channel  12  feet  deep  at  mean  low  water,"  is  a  worthy 
and  useful  one,  and  accordingly  recommends  it  for  adoption. 

In  view  of  the  necessities  of  the  commerce  incident  to  the  river  proper  and  its 
tributary  country,  the  Board  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  project  for  improvement 
adopted  in  1S(!7  should  be  extended  so  as  to  provide  for  a  channel  depth  of  at  least  12 
feet  at  mean  low  water,  and  that  such  an  extension  is  well  worth  the  expenditure  re- 
quired foi  its  execution. 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


3 


The  estimate  submitted  by  the  Board  for  a  channel  12  feet  deep  and 
400  feet  wide  from  Coxsackie  to  the  foot  of  Broadway,  Troy,  and 
thence  12  feet  deep  and  300  feet  wide  to  the  State  dam  at  Troy  is 
$2,447,900.56. 

I  concur  in  the  views  of  the  Board. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

Thos.  Lincoln  Casey, 
Brig.  Gen.,  Chief  of  Engineers. 

Hon.  Bedfield  Proctor, 

Secretary  of  War. 


REPORT  OF  BOARD  OF  ENGINEERS  ON  IMPROVEMENT  OF  HUDSON 
RIVER,  NEW  YORK,  IN  COMPLIANCE  WITH  ACT  APPROVED  SEP- 
TEMBER 19,  1890. 

United  States  Engineer  Office, 

New  Yorh  N".  Y.,  October  1,  1891. 
General  :  The  Board  of  Engineers  constituted  by  Special  Orders  No- 
66,  Headquarters,  Corps  of  Engineers,  September  30, 1890,  has  the  honor 
to  submit  the  following  report  upon  the  improvement  of  the  Hudson 
Eiver,  New  York,  to  comply  with  the  requirements  of  the  river  and 
harbor  act  of  September  19, 1890. 

The  special  duty  required  of  the  Board,  in  the  language  of  the  act, 
was: 

To  thoroughly  examine  the  obstructions  to  navigation  in  the  Hudson  River,  be- 
tween New  York  City  and  the  State  Dam  at  Troy,  N.  Y.,  and  report  a  project 
and  estimate  of  the  cost  of  widening  and  deepening  said  river  between  New  York 
City  and  the  city  of  Albany,  and  also  between  New  York  City  and  the  State  Dam  at 
the  city  of  Troy  for  the  navigation  of  sea-going  vessels  drawing  20  feet  of  water,  and 
also  a  separate  estimate  of  the  expense  of  improving  the  river  between  Coxsackie 
and  the  State  Dam  at  Troy,  to  such  an  extent  as  to  secure  a  navigable  channel  12 
feet  deep  at  m#an  low  water.  Said  Board  shall  accompany  their  report  with  a  state- 
ment as  to  the  usefulness  of  such  improvements,  and  of  their  relations  and  value  to 
commerce,  and  of  the  advisability  of  entering  upon  the  same  at  this  time;  and  the 
Secretary  of  War  shall  transmit  said  reports  to  Congress  with  his  own  views  and 
those  of  the  Chief  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  Army,  thereon;  and  the  expenses  of  said  Board 
shall  be  paid  out  of  the  appropriation  made  in  this  act  for  the  improvement  of  the 
Hudson  River,  not  to  exceed  $10,000. 

As  all  the  obstructions  to  the  navigation  of  the  river  above  the  plane 
of  20  feet  mean  low  water  are  situated  between  Hudson  and  Troy,  the 
duties  of  the  Board  were  confined  to  the  consideration  of  the  improve- 
ment of  that  reach.  The  river  between  those  points  was  accordingly 
examined  thoroughly  by  the  Board  in  person,  and  a  careful  study  has 
been  made  of  all  accessible  charts  which  have  been  published. 

To  enable  the  Board  to  confer  with  all  persons  whose  interests  might 
be  affected  by  the  enlarged  improvement  of  the  river,  a  public  meeting 
was  held  at  Albany,  N.  Y.,  January  6,  1891,  at  which  the  attendance 
was  very  large.  A  second  meeting  was  held  in  New  York,  May  15, 1891, 
to  enable  the  commercial  bodies  in  that  city  not  previously  represented 
to  present  their  views. 

The  information  gathered  at  these  meetings  in  regard  to  "  the  useful- 
ness of  the  improvements  and  of  their  relations  and  value  to  commerce 
and  of  the  advisability  of  entering  upon  the  same  at  this  time  "  was  all 
reduced  to  writing,  and  copies  are  appended  hereto. 

The  improvement  of  the  Hudson  Kiver  by  the  State  authorities  ante- 


4 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


dates  the  present  century,  but  the  part  which  the  General  Government 
has  taken  in  it  dates  only  from  1834,  at  which  time  the  first  appropria- 
tion, amounting  to  $70,000,  was  made. 

A  Board  of  United  States  Engineers,  convened  in  that  year,  prepared 
a  project  for  improvement  which  contemplated  the  construction  of  lines 
of  longitudinal  dikes  from  Troy  to  New  Baltimore,  supplemented  by  the 
use  of  the  dredge. 

The  State  of  New  York  had  previously  followed  plans  of  improve- 
ment which  provided  for  the  application  of  groins  or  jetties  for  contract- 
ing channel  to  induce  scour. 

Under  the  general  system  adopted  by  the  United  States  operations 
for  the  construction  of  longitudinal  dikes  and  for  occasional  dredging 
were  carried  on  during  the  years  1835,  1836,  1837,  and  1838.  A  sus- 
pension of  work  then  occurred,  and  active  operations  on  an  extensive 
scale  were  not  resumed  until  1867,  when  work  under  the  project  pre- 
pared by  the  officer  then  in  local  charge  was  begun. 

In  the  meanwhile  the  State  of  New  York,  in  1863,  had  taken  up  the 
improvement  on  the  general  plan  adopted  by  the  United  States  in  1834, 
and  between  1863  and  1867  six  longitudinal  dikes  were  built  on  the  left 
bank,  extending  from  Houghtailing  Island  to  Albany.  The  Annual 
Eeports  of  the  Chief  of  Engineers  during  the  past  few  years  show  that 
the  improvement  by  the  construction  of  dikes  has  been  left  almost  ex- 
clusively to  the  General  Government,  and  that  by  dredging  to  the 
State  of  New  York. 

The  existing  plans  of  improvement,  adopted  in  1867,  provide  for  se- 
curing a  navigable  channel  11  feet  deep  at  mean  low  water  from  New 
Baltimore  to  Albany,  and  9  feet  deep  at  mean  low  water  from  Albany 
to  Troy,  at  an  estimated  cost  of  $862,297.75.  This  estimate  was  revised 
and  increased  several  times  at  later  periods  to  take  account  of  expendi- 
tures for  repairs  and  for  work  done  not  included  in  previous  estimates, 
and  the  estimate  of  final  cost,  according  to  the  revision  of  1889,  is 
$1,424,435. 

The  dikes  as  built  are  in  general  pile  dikes,  single  or  double,  and  are 
revetted  or  filled  with  broken  stone. 

The  total  amount  appropriated  since  1864  is  $1,279,330.57,  and  the 
amount  expended  to  June  30,  1891,  is  $1,162,011.70. 

The  estimated  amount  required  to  be  appropriated  to  complete  the  ex- 
isting project  is  $145,000.  It  therefore  appears  that  new  estimates  are 
essential  at  this  time,  in  order  that  the  improvement  of  the  river  may 
continue  without  interruption. 

The  following  is  a  description  of  the  plan  now  in  process  of  execution : 

First. — A  system  of  longitudinal  dikes  to  confine  the  current  suffi- 
ciently to  allow  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the  tidal  current  to  keep  the  channel 
clear;  these  dikes  to  be  gradually  brought  nearer  together  from  New 
Baltimore  towards  Troy,  so  as  to  assist  the  entrance  of  the  flood  cur- 
rent and  increase  its  height,  their  height  to  be  kept  approximately  at 
the  level  of  the  tidal  high  water,  so  as  not  to  confine  the  freshets,  the 
exact  level,  however,  being  left  to  be  determined  by  experience  as  the 
work  progresses. 

Second. — That  the  dredge  be  used,  so  far  as  necessary,  to  open  the 
channels  above  described,  which  the  current  should  not  be  allowed  to 
do,  except  very  gradually,  lest  accumulations  dangerous  to  navigation 
be  formed  below. 

Third. — Keeping,  as  far  as  practicable,  the  side  reservoirs  open  to 
the  passage  of  tidal  currents  by  gaps  at  their  lower  extremities,  in  order 
to  increase  the  tidal  flow. 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


5 


Fourth. — Dumping  all  dredged  material  in  secure  places,  where  it 
can  not  be  moved  back  again  into  the  channel  by  the  current. 

Fifth. — Constructing  the  dikes  of  timber  and  stone,  in  a  manner  to 
secure  their  permanency,  at  a  minimum  cost,  the  details  varying  with 
the  locality,  to  be  left  to  the  discretion  of  the  local  engineer,  to  be  so 
designed  as  to  admit  of  having  an  increased  height  given  to  the  dikes 
if  necessary. 

Sixth. — To  protect,  when  necessary,  the  banks  and  islands  against 
the  abrading  action  of  the  currents  by  revetments. 

Seventh. — That  limits,  beyond  which  no  encroachments  upon  the  chan- 
nels should  be  made,  be  prescribed,  and  that  any  such  encroachments 
be  reported  to  the  engineer  in  charge. 

The  width  between  the  projected  dikes  built  to  revet  the  banks  as 
well  as  to  contract  the  waterway  varies  from  the  minimum  of  575  feet 
at  Troy  to  the  maximum  of  1,200  feet  at  New  Baltimore.  The  average 
width  between  Albany  and  New  Baltimore  is  800  feet,  approximately. 

During  the  time  the  improvement  has  been  in  progress  certain  facts 
in  regard  to  the  physics  of  the  river  have  been  gathered  by  the  officers 
in  local  charge,  which  have  been  reported  from  time  to  time  in  annual 
reports  to  the  Chief  of  Engineers,  and  in  special  reports  by  the  assistants 
to  the  officer  in  charge,  which  form  part  of  the  files  of  the  main  office. 

So  far  as  practicable,  the  records  have  been  carefully  searched  for 
this  important  information,  and  supplementary  examinations  have  been 
made  upon  the  river  itself  since  the  passage  of  the  river  and  harbor  act 
of  September  19,  1890,  especially  by  borings  to  determine  the  nature  of 
the  river  bottom  from  the  city  of  Hudson  to  the  State  Dam  at  Troy. 

The  general  features  of  the  river  basins,  and  the  special  character- 
istics of  the  main  river  obtained  from  these  sources,  will  now  be  stated 
before  submitting  the  projects  and  estimates  required  of  the  Board  to 
comply  with  the  first  part  of  its  instructions. 

PHYSICS  OF  THE  HUDSON  RIVER. 

Drainage  areas. — The  Hudson  Eiver  has  its  source  in  fourteen  small 
lakes  in  the  Adirondack  Mountains  of  northern  New  York,  near  New- 
comb,  Essex  County,  which  are  200  feet  above  tide  water  and  have  an 
aggregate  water  area  of  6,000  acres.  The  length  of  the  river  from  the 
sources  to  Fort  Edward  is  109  miles,  and  the  drainage  area  to  that  point 
is  2,300  square  miles.  The  distance  from  Fort  Edward  to  the  State 
Dam  at  Troy  is  40  miles,  and  the  difference  of  level  between  them  is 
108J  feet.  The  height  of  the  dam  being  9J  feet,  the  total  difference  of 
level  between  Fort  Edward  and  tide  water  is  118  feet. 

There  is  no  river  slope  in  the  upper  section  corresponding  to  the  actual 
fall,  for  the  river  is  crossed  by  frequent  dams,  and  is  made  up  of  a  suc- 
cession of  reaches  of  different  levels. 

The  drainage  area  of  the  lower  section,  below  Fort  Edward,  is  2,075 
square  miles,  making  the  total  drainage  area  of  the  river  above  the 
State  Dam  at  Troy,  exclusive  of  the  Mohawk  Yalley,  4,375  square  miles, 
or  2,800,000  acres. 

The  Mohawk  rises  in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  State,  and  after 
flowing  eastward  for  a  distance  of  150  miles  joins  the  Hudson  at  Troy 
by  several  mouths.  It  drains  an  area  of  2,800  square  miles,  or  1,814.000 
acres,  so  that  the  total  drainage  area  of  the  Hudson  Biver  to  Troy  is 
7,200  square  miles,  or  4,614,000  acres. 

The  greater  part  of  the  material  carried  in  suspension  in  the  Hudson 
Biver  above  Albany  is  believed  to  come  from  the  Mohawk  River  and  its 


G 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


tributary,  tlie  .Schoharie  River,  while  the  sands  and  gravel  that  form 
the  heavy  and  obstinate  bars  near  Albany,  and  chiefly  between  Albany 
and  Troy,  have  come  from  the  Upper  Hudson,  Since  the  construction 
of  the  State  Dam  at  Troy  it  is  probable  that  the  shoal  bars  above 
Albany  are  derived  principally  from  the  degradation  of  the  banks  of 
the  river  at  all  points,  due  to  current  action  during  freshets  and  to 
wash  of  waves  created  by  passing  steamers. 

Rainfall  and  water  supply. — The  average  rainfall  during  the  past 
sixty-three  years,  from  observations  recorded  in  the  report  of  the  water 
commissioner  at  Troy  for  1889,  is  36.55  inches.  The  greatest  rainfall  in 
any  year  was  in  1878,  when  the  record  was  49.23  inches;  and  the  least 
rainfall  in  1839,  when  the  record  was  18.32  inches. 

The  greatest  rainfall  in  any  one  month  was  13.8  inches,  recorded  in 
October,  18G9,  and  the  least  rainfall,  0.2  inch,  recorded  m  May,  1840. 

Generally  speaking,  the  effects  of  rain  storms  are  shown  by  a  rise  in 
the  river  within  twenty-four  hours  after  the  first  rainfall. 

At  times  during  the  dry  season  of  nearly  every  year  no  .water  flows 
over  the  State  Dam  at  Troy  for  a  month  at  least,  and,  excepting  the 
lockage  water  of  the  canals  and  the  leakage  through  gates,  there  is 
during  that  period  little  apparent  fresh- water  supply  from  the  upper 
river  to  the  flow  of  the  river  below. 

From  this,  and  from  the  fact  that  the  tide  has  a  range  of  1  foot,  ap- 
proximately, at  the  State  Dam^  it  is  evident  that  the  navigation  of  the 
Hudson  River  below  the  dam  is  dependent  in  a  large  degree,  at  the 
low  stage,  upon  tidal  flow. 

Freshets. — Freshets  in  the  Mohawk  River  are  severe,  but  of  short  du- 
ration, and  are  more  frequent  than  in  the  Hudson. 

The  height  of  the  greatest  known  freshet  in  the  Hudson  River,  due 
to  rainfall  alone,  above  the  plane  of  mean  low  water  at  Albany,  where 
the  width  between  banks  is  850  to  1,000  feet,  occurred  in  October,  1869, 
when  the  rise  was  19  feet,  due  to  a  rainfall  in  that  month  of  13.8  inches. 

The  highest  known  rise,  of  22  feet,  at  Albany,  occurring  in  February, 
1857,  was  due  to  an  ice  gorge  at  Van  Wies  Point,  and  it  is  to  be  re- 
marked that  during  the  same  month  the  rise  at  Fort  Edward  was  18 
feet,  at  Waterford  15  feet,  and  at  the  State  Dam,  Troy,  13  feet. 

At  Albany  the  heights  of  the  spring  freshets  generally  range  from  6 
feet  to  8  feet  above  ordinary  water  level,  but  occasionally  the  waters 
rise  5  to  6  feet  higher  when  the  river  opens  rapidly,  or  when  ice  jams 
have  been  formed  in  front  of  or  immediately  below  the  city. 

If  the  change  from  winter  to  spring  is  rapid,  the  freshets  are  violent 
but  of  short  duration ;  but  if  the  change  is  gradual,  the  river  swells 
slowly,  and  slowly  subsides,  and  the  waters  remain  high  through  the 
spring  and  well  into  the  summer. 

In  midwinter  there  is  usually  a  period  of  mild  weather  called  the 
"  January  thaw,"  during  which  there  frequently  occurs  a  partial  rise  in 
the  river,  soon  checked  by  a  return  of  cold  weather.  It  is  then  that  ice 
dams  are  usually  formed,  which  last  until  the  spring  opens. 

The  greatest  rises  may  be  expected  after  severe  rains  in  the  spring, 
when  the  ground  is  frozen  and  the  drainage  free,  or  in  the  autumn. 

The  effect  of  the  freshets  is  to  produce  unusual  scour  in  contracted 
channels  and  on  soft  bottoms,  and  to  deposit  the  abraded  materials  at 
the  points  where  the  cross  section  becomes  enlarged. 

The  project  of  1834  proposed  to  utilize  the  agency  of  freshets  in  open- 
ing a  channel  across  the  bars  for  the  maintenance  of  the  navigable 
water  way  by  making  the  dikes  high,  but  later  projects  for  the  improve- 
ment of  the  river  are  based  upon  the  principle  that  freshets  are  detri- 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


7 


mental  as  well  as  beneficial  to  the  river,  for  the  reason  tfeat  they  create 
irregularities  in  the  regimen  and  bring  about  irregular  scours  and  de- 
posits, and  in  accordance  with  this  principle  the  dikes  provided  for  in 
the  project  for  improvement  adopted  in  1867  do  not  rise  above  the  plane 
of  tidal  high  water. 

The  greatest  velocity  of  flow  corresponds  to  the  highest  rise  of  water 
only  when  the  river  is  unobstructed. 

Tides  and  discharges. — The  tidal  information  in  possession  of  the  Board 
comes  from  observations  made  prior  to  1890. 

The  tidal  observations  made  in  the  upper  river  in  1876,  corrected  in 
1884,  are  represented  in  the  following  table: 

The  mean  rise  and  fall  of  tides  at — 

Feet. 


State  Dam,  Troy,  N.  Y   0. 80 

Nail  Works,  Trov,  N.  Y   1.  94 

Albany,  N.  Y  ....   2.32 

Castleton,  36ST,  Y   2. 53 

New  Baltimore,  N.  Y  3. 42 

New  York,  Governors  Island,  from  Coast  Survey   4.  40 


The  mean  duration  of  rise  of  tides  at  Albany  is  five  hours,  and  the 
mean  duration  of  fall  seven  hours  and  twenty-five  minutes. 
The  plane  of  mean  low  water  at  ]Sew  York  below  that  at — 


Feet. 

New  Baltimore  3.55 

Castleton  4.35 

Albany  4.78 

Troy  Nail  Works   5.32 

Trov  State  Dam     6.88 


The  State  Dam  at  Troy  is  tlie  dividing  line  between  the  tidal  and 
nontidal  compartments  of  the  river  system.  When  there  is  little  or  no 
water  passing  over  the  dam  at  or  near  low  stage,  the  lower  river  be- 
comes largely  tidal  for  a  period  not  exceeding  six  weeks,  and  the  alter- 
nating flood  and  ebb  currents  there  are  well  defined  in  their  proper 
direction.  When  the  upper  rivers  discharge  their  average  supply,  the 
ebb  current  is  well  defined,  but  the  flood  currents  can  scarcely  be 
noticed.  In  times  of  freshets  tides  are  still  to  be  observed,  but  there 
is  no  appreciable  flood  current  in  the  upper  river.  The  times  of  high 
and  low  water  stands,  corresponding  to  two  successive  tidal  waves,  are 
coincident  at  Governors  Island  and  at  the  State  Dam.  Troy,  X.  Y. 
At  Tivoli,  the  tidal  phases  are  the  converse  of  those  at  Governors 
Island  and  at  the  dam. 

The  tidal  area  from  the  dam  to  Albany  measures  47,600,000  square 
feet,  and  the  corresponding  tidal  prism  for  a  mean  rise  of  1.08  feet  over 
the  whole  area  measures  79,968,000  cubic  feet. 

The  area  of  the  cross  section  at  Albany,  where  the  width  between 
protected  banks  is  850  feet,  approximately,  is  10,000  square  feet  at 
mean  low  water,  and  the  mean  discharge  at  that  time  is  2,9!),")  cubic 
feet,  approximately,  per  second.  Gaugings  of  the  Mohawk  and  Upper 
Hudson  rivers  above  the  dam  were  made  in  October,  1874,  and  the 
mean  fresh-water  discharge  for  the  combined  rivers  for  that  month  was 
found  to  be  4,853  cubic  feet  per  second. 

The  calculated  mean  discharge  above  the  dam  for  that  month,  based 
on  the  monthly  rainfall  of  1.77  inches  (one-half  the  average  monthly  fall 
for  the  year),  and  an  assumed  drainage  of  0.48  inch,  was  3,001.6  cubic 
feet  per  second.  It  is  probable  that  the  gaugings  were  made  shortly 
after  a  rainfall  when  the  river  was  slightly  in  freshet,  and  the  resulting 
mean  discharge  for  that  month  is  somewhat  large.  But  assuming  the 
gaugings  to  be  correct,  the  error  will  be  slight  if  the  mean  fresh-water 


8 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


discharge  for  that  month  at  Albany  be  taken  at  5,000  cnbic  feet  per 
second. 

The  calculated  mean  discharge  of  fresh  water  in  1874,  at  the  Albany 
cross-sectionj  based  on  the  mean  monthly  rainfall  for  the  entire  year  of 
3.10  inches,  and  the  assumed  drainage  of  1.G7  inches,  is  found  to  be  10,703 
cubic  feet  per  second. 

The  information  in  regard  to  velocities  at  different  stages  is  not  con- 
clusive, but  observations  show  that  moderate  rises  of  1  foot  or  more  at 
Albany  give  surface  velocities  varying,  during  ebb,  from  1  foot  per  sec- 
ond in  the  first  quarter,  to  2  feet  in  the  last  quarter.  A  freshet  rise  of 
7  feet  gives  a  velocity  of  3  feet  per  second,  and  an  8-fqot  rise  gives  a 
velocity  of  3J  feet  per  second.  It  is  reported  also  that  the  maximum 
rise  does  not  give  a  velocity  exceeding  6  feet  per  second. 

The  discharge  of  the  Hudson  between  Troy  and  Albany  at  its  lowest 
stage  may  be  taken  without  great  error  at  about  3,000  cubic  feet  per 
second.  The  river  supply  therefore  during  that  stage  is  inadequate  in 
the  upper  part  of  the  river  for  scouring  or  for  navigation,  independent 
of  tidal  flow. 

BARS. 

The  accompanying  chart  of  the  Hudson  Eiver,  prepared  from  the 
latest  surveys,  shows  in  detail  the  location  of  all  the  obstructive  bars 
from  Troy  to  Hudson. 

The  channel  from  Broadway,  Troy,  north  to  the  State  dam,  is  con- 
tracted by  numerous  islands,  and  is  very  narrow  and  shoal.  The  water 
here  flows  over  a  rocky  bed,  restricting  commerce  principally  to  the 
wharves  which  lie  south  of  Broadway. 

From  Troy  to  Albany,  while  the  maximum  depth  of  14  feet,  mean  low 
water,  is  noted  in  many  placed;  the  navigable  depth  is  reduced  to  7J 
feet  to  8  feet,  mean  low  water,  by  six  obstructing  bars  composed  of 
coarse  and  fine  gravel  and  coarse  and  fine  sand.  Several  of  the  deep 
pools,  between  the  bars,  particularly  at  Troy,  and  opposite  Breakers 
Island,  have  groups  of  large  bowlders  covering  the  bed. 

The  navigable  depth  in  this  reach  before  improvements  were  made 
was  about  4  feet,  mean  low  water. 

At  Albany  the  average  depth  is  11  feet  to  12J  feet,  mean  low  water, 
but  the  maximum  depth  is  16  feet,  approximately. 

From  Albany  to  New  Baltimore  the  depths  are  very  variable,  the 
prevailing  depth  being  10  feet  and  over,  with  pools  of  greater  depth 
separated  by  long  cross-over  bars,  over  which  the  greatest  depth  does 
not  exceed  9  to  10  feet.  These  bars  are  eight  in  number  and  are  com- 
posed chiefly  of  fine  sand.  In  this  reach  rock  outcrops  above  the  plane 
of  22  feet,  mean  low  water,  at  the  Overslaugh,  Van  Wies  Point,  and  at 
Mulls,  and  before  improvement  the  approximate  navigable  depth  was 
only  7  feet,  mean  low  water. 

New  Baltimore  is  the  highest  point  on  the  river  at  which  the  depth 
of  20  feet,  mean  low  water,  is  found,  and  from  that  place  south  to  Hud- 
son two  points  are  observed  where  there  is  a  less  depth  than  15  feet; 
one  point  is  at  Stonehouse  Bar,  where  the  least  depth  is  13  feet,  mean 
low  water,  and  the  other  at  Four  Mile  Point,  where  the  least  depth  is 
14  feet,  mean  low  water.  These  are  bars  of  fine  sand,  and  their  forma- 
tion has  been  the  result  of  long  action,  though  it  is  to  be  remarked  that 
the  shoaling  at  Stonehouse  Bar  has  been  more  rapid  of  late  years  than 
formerly,  owing  possibly  to  the  fact  that  the  construction  of  contracting 
dikes  above  New  Baltimore  has  induced  an  increased  downstream  mo\  e 
ment  of  detritus  to  form  bars  in  the  spaces  below  New  Baltimore,  where 
the  stream  has  not  been  confined  by  artificial  works. 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


9 


BORINGS. 

To  ascertain  the  character  of  the  formation  underlying  the  bed  of  the 
river  essential  to  the  preparation  of  estimates  for  excavations  extend- 
ing to  a  plane  22  feet  below  mean  low  water,  borings  were  taken  along 
cross  sections  1,000  feet  apart  from  Troy  to  Xew  Baltimore,  and  also  at 
different  points  in  the  vicinity  of  Hudson,  the  results  of  which  are  shown 
upon  the  accompanying  chart. 

It  suffices  to  say  in  regard  to  these  results  that  rock  was  developed 
at  a  depth  of  from  7  feet  to  17  feet  below  mean  low  water  from  the 
State  dam  at  Troy  to  Breakers  Island,  a  distance  of  3J  miles.  Thence 
for  a  distance  of  8  miles  to  the  Overslaugh  Bock  no  rock  was  found 
above  the  depth  of  22  feet.  From  the  Overslaugh  Bock  to  Staats,  a 
distance  of  1J  miles,  rock  outcrops  in  a  few  places  above  the  plane  of 
22  feet,  mean  low  water.  From  Staats  to  Mulls,  a  distance  of  5  miles, 
no  rock  occurs  excej^t  in  small  quantity  at  Cedar  Hill  Bar,  lying  west 
of  the  channel.  Between  Mulls  Cross-Over  and  Hudson  no  rock  was 
found  except  at  Matthews  Point,  just  below  New  Baltimore,  where  a 
narrow  reef  running  from  bank  to  bank  and  rising  to  13. G  feet  below 
low  water  was  developed. 

ADDITIONAL  REGULATION  OF  THE  RIVER. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  existing  artificial  works  for  regulat- 
ing the  river  terminate  at  New  Baltimore.  These  works,  in  part,  have 
been  in  operation  now  for  nearly  twenty-five  years,  and  while  the  depths 
in  the  channel  embraced  between  the  revetted  banks  have  gradually 
"and  continuously  increased  to  the  advantage  of  the  navigation  of  the 
river,  there  are  evidences  that  at  at  least  one  bar  below  New  Baltimore, 
viz,  Stonehouse  Bar,  some  deterioration  by  shoaling  is  going  on,  which 
must  be  provided  for  by  the  downward  extension  of  the  artificial  works, 
even  if  no  enlargement  of  present  projects  for  improvement  is  author- 
ized. 

The  Board  has  studied  the  reach  of  the  river  from  New  Baltimore  to 
Coxsackie  with  some  degree  of  care,  and  has  estimated  approximately 
lor  a  system  of  ne  w  works  on  both  banks  designed  to  regulate  this  reach 
as  well  as  to  protect  the  banks  of  the  river  and  of  intervening  islands 
against  degradation  by  currents  and  wave  action.  The  precise  character 
of  the  proposed  works,  their  extent,  and  their  true  location,  are  left  to 
the  determination  of  the  local  officer  when  the  new  project  for  improve- 
ment is  adopted,  and  when  funds  for  construction  become  available  by 
future  appropriations. 

The  Board  will  state  generally  that  the  main  channel  should  be  carried 
over  Stonehouse  Bar.  and  the  secondary  channel  behind  Bronks  island 
should  be  closed,  by  building  a  dike  from  a  convenient  point  in  South 
New  Baltimore  along  the  eastern  margin  of  the  shoal  at  the  head  of 
Bronks  Island,  and  continued  along  that  island  as  far  as  may  be  decided 
necessary;  that  the  unprotected  and  exposed  heads  and  shores  of 
Bronks.  Light  House,  and  Coxsackie  islands  should  be  revetted  so  as  to 
protect  them  against  abrasion,  leaving  the  channels  behind  the  two 
latter  islands  open  for  commercial  uses,  and  that  the  eastern  shore  of 
the  river  from  Stuyvesant  Light  to  Xutten  Hook  should  be  revetted  in 
a  suitable  way  for  the  better  maintenance  of  the  channel.  The  Board 
also  thinks  that  the  shoal  forming  at  the  lower  end  of  Coxsackie  Island 
should  be  removed  and  that  the  river  should  be  given  a  cross  section 
at  that  point  not  less  in  area  than  that  at  Coxsackie  Landing,  imme- 
diately below. 


10 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


The  aggregate  length  of  shore  line  for  which  protection  is  recom- 
mended is  about  40,000  linear  feet,  and  the  estimated  cost  of  the  pro* 
posed  works  is  $350,000,  approximately. 

The  estimated  cost  of  these  constructions,  which  are  included  in  the 
estimates  required  of  the  Board,  are  necessarily  only  approximate,  as 
the  absolute  cost  can  only  be  determined  after  more  detailed  studies 
have  been  given  to  the  subject  by  the  local  officer. 

The  Board  further  thinks  that  increased  depths  where  needed  below 
Ooxsackie  can  be  more  quickly  and  economically  obtained  by  the  usual 
method  of  dredging  than  by  a  resort  to  permanent  works  of  improve- 
ment. 

ESTIMATES  OF  COST. 


The  act  of  September  19,  1890,  under  which  this  report  is  submitted, 
calls  for  three  distinct  projects  of  improvement,  two  of  which  provide 
for  a  channel  navigable  for  vessels  drawing  20  feet,  and  one  for  a  depth 
of  12  feet  at  mean  low  stage  of  the  river.  The  Board  now  presents 
separate  estimates  for  these  projects: 

1.  Estimate  of  cost  of  widening  and  deepening  the  Hudson  river  be- 
tween NEW  YORK  AND  ALBANY,  FOR  THE  NAVIGATION  OF  SEAGOING  VESSELS 
DRAWING  20  FEET  OF  WATER,  AFFORDING  A  CHANNEL  400  FEET  WIDE  AND  22 
FEET  DEEP,  MEAN  LOW  WATER,  WITH  SIDE  SLOPES  OF  ONE  ON  ONE  IN  ROCK, 
ONE  ON  THREE  IN  SAND. 


a.  From  Hudson  City  to  Netv  Baltimore  \  Hudson  Channel). 


1.  Priming  Hook  Slioal,  dredging  cubic  yards..  399,925 

2.  Four  Mile  Point  Shoal,  dredging  do ... .  1,  583,  452 

3.  Coxsackie  Shoal,  dredging  do   855,861 

4.  Bronks  Island  Shoal,  dredging  do   535,287 

5.  Stone  House  Bar,  dredging  do   983, 903 

Total  dredging  do ... .    4,  358,  428 

Amounting,  at  20  cents  per  cubic  yard,  to   $871,  685.  60 

6.  Reef  at  Matthews  Point,  removing  17,482  cubic  yards  rock,  at  $10 

per  cubic  yard   174,  820.  00 

1, 046,  505.  60 

b.  From  New  Baltimore  to  Albany. 


1.  Willow  Island  Shoal,  dredging  cubic  yards..  1,  636,  616 

2.  Coeymans  Shoal,  dredging  do   1.006,231 

3.  Mulls  Cross-Over,  dredging  do   2,  969, 119 

4.  Cedar  Hill  Bar,  dredging  do....  1,  610,  615 

5.  Winnies  Bar,  dredging  do   956,207 

6.  Van  Wies  Shoal,  dredging  do ... .  1, 554,  592 

7.  Bogart  Light  Shoal,  dredging  do ... .  1,  794,  398 

8.  Cuylers  Bar,  dredging  do   1,  859,  874 

Total  dredging  do ... .  13,  387,  652 

Amounting,  at  20  cents  pet  cubic  yard,  to   2,  677, 530. 40 

9.  Mulls  Cross-Over,  rock  removal  cubic  yards..        46,  570 

10.  Cedar  Hill  Bar,  rock  removal  \&o ... .         9,  216 

11.  Overslaugh,  rock  removal  do   76,  342 

Total  rock  removal  do ... .       132, 128 

Amounting,  at  $10  per  cubic  yard,  to   1,  321,  280.  00 

Additional  regulation  work   350,000.00 

5.  395.  316.00 

Contingencies,  10  per  cent   539, 531.  00 


Total 


5, 934,  847. 60 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


11 


2.  Estimate  of  cost  of  widkxixg  and  deepening  the  hxjbsgn  rtveb  betw  i  i  n 
new  york  city  and  the  state  dam  at  tltoy,  for  the  navigation  of  sea- 
going vessels  drawing  20  feet  of  water,  affording  a  channel  400  feet 
wide  and  22  feet  deep,  mean  low  water,  to  the  foot  op  broadway,  troy, 
and  thence  to  the  dam  at  troy,  200  feet  wide  and  22  feet  deep,  mean 
low  water,  including  the  formation  of  a  15  a  sen  below  the  dam. 

a.  From  Hudson  City  to  Albany. 
Same  as  in  lirst  estimate,  above   $5,  395,  316.  00 

b.  From  Albany  to  State  Dam  at  Troy. 

1.  Kellogg  Shoal,  dredging  cubic  yards..  1,909,285 

2.  Fish  House  Shoal,  dredging  do   1,421,498 

3.  Round  Shoal  and  Covills  Folly,  dredging   do   1,866,965 

4.  Van  Burens  Bar,  dredging  do   971,808 

5.  Washington  Bar,  dredging  do   745,208 

6.  Washington  Bar  to  foot  of  Broadway,  dredging,  .do   494, 158 

7.  From  foot  of  Broadway  to  State  Dam,  dredging  .do..  ..  531,  465 

Total  dredging  do ....  7,  940,  387 

Amounting,  at  20  cents  per  cubic  yard,  to   1,  588,  077.  40 

8.  Breakers  Island,  rock  removal  cubic  yards. .      140,  924 

9.  Arsenal,  rock  removal  do   510,092 

10.  Troy  to  State  Dam,  rock  removal  do   424,  084 

Total  rock  removal  do         1,  075, 100 

Amounting,  at  $10  per  cubic  yard,  to   10,  751,  000.  00 

17,  734,  393.  40 

Contingencies,  10  per  cent   1,  773,  439.  34 

Total   19,507,832.74 

3.,  Estimate  of  cost  of  improving  the  Hudson  river  between  coxsackie 
and  the  state  dam  at  troy  to  such  an  extent  as  to  secure  a  navi- 
gable channel  12  feet  deep  at  mean  low  water,  the  channel  to  be 
400  feet  wide  from  coxsackie  to  foot  of  broadway,  troy,  and  300 
feet  wide  from  foot  of  broadway  to  state  dam  at  troy,  the  side 
slopes  in  rock  to  be  one  on  one,  and  in  sand  one  on  three. 

*  a.  From  Coxsackie  to  Albany. 

1.  Coxsackie  Shoal,  dredging  cubic  yards..  106,072 

2.  Stone  House  Bar,  dredging  do   58,323 

3.  Willow  Island  Bar,  dredging  do ... .  275,  089 

4.  Coevmans  Shoal,  dredging  do   60,842 

5.  Mulls  Cross-Over,  dredging  do ... .  367, 104 

6.  Cedar  Hill  Bar,  dredging  do....  112,800 

7.  Winnies  Bar,  dredging  do   85,938 

8.  Van  Wies  Shoal,  dredging  do....  223,362 

9.  Bogart  Light  Shoal,  dredging  do....  342,048 

10.  Cuylers  Bar,  dredging  do....  271,669 

Total  dredging  do....  1,903,247 

Amounting,  at  20  cents  per  cubic  yard,  to   $380,  649.  40 

11.  Overslaugh,  removing  1,495  cubic  yards  rock,  at  $10  per  cubic 

yard   14, 950.  00 

395, 599. 40 

b.  From  Albany  to  State  Dam. 

1.  Kellogg  Shoal,  dredging  cubic  vards . .     387,  688 

2.  Fish  House  Shoal,  dredging  Ido   484, 126 


)  9' 


3.  Round  shoal  and  Covills  Polly,  dredging  do   605 

4.  Van  Burens  Bar.  dredging.  "  do   288,  829 

5.  Washington  Bar.  dredging  do   356,350 

6.  Washington  Bar  to  foot  of  Broadway,  dredging. . do   87,988 

7.  Foot  of  Broadway  to  State  Dam,  dredging  do   509,542 

Total  dredging  do   2,716,801 

Amounting,  at  20  cents  per  cubic  yard,  to   543,  360.  20 


12 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


8.  Breakers  Island,  rock  removal  .cubic  yards..  8,942 

9.  Arsenal,  rock  removal  do   2,824 

10.  Foot  of  Broadway  to  State  Dam,  rock  removal  ..  .do   81,  875 


Total  rock  removal  do   93,  641 

Amounting,  at  $10  per  cubic  yard,  to   $936,  410. 00 

Additional  regulation  work   350,  000.  00 


2, 225,  369.  60 

Contingencies,  10  per  cent   222,  536.  96 


Total   2,447,906.56 

RECAPITULATION. 

No.  1.  For  channel  22  feet  deep  and  400  feet  wide  from  New  York  City  to  Albany. 

From  Hudson  City  to  Albany : 

Dredging  17,746,080  cubic  yards,  at  20  cents   $3,  549,  216.  00 

Removing  149,610  cubic  yards  rock,  at  $10   1, 496, 100. 00 

Additional  regulation  work   350,  000. 00 


5,  395,  316.  00 

Contingencies,  10  per  cent   539,  531.  60 


Total   5,  934,  847.  60 

No.  2.  For  channel  22  feet  deep  and  400  feet  wide  from  New,  York  City  to  foot  of  Broad- 
way, Troy,  and  thence  22  feet  deep  and  200  feet  wide  to  State  Dam  at  Troy. 

From  Hudson  to  State  Dam  at  Troy : 

Dredging  25,686,467  cubic  yards,  at  20  cents   $5, 137.  293.  40 

Removing  1,224,710  cubic  yards  rock,  at  $10    12,  247, 100.00 

Additional  regulation  work   350,  000.  00 


17,  73'.,  393.40 

Contingencies,  10  per  cent   1,  773,  439.  34 


Total   19,507,832.74 

No.  3.  For  channel  12  feet  deep  and  400  feet  wide  from  CoxsacMe  to  foot  of  Broadway, 
Troy,  and  thence  12  feet  deep  and  300  feet  wide  to  State  Dam  at  Troy. 

From  Coxsackie  to  State  Dam: 

Dredging  4,620,048  cubic  yards,  at  20  cents   $924,  009.  60 

Removing  95,136  cubic  yards  rock,  at  $10   951,  360.  00 

Additional  regulation  work   350,  000.  00 


2,  225,  369.  60 

Contingencies,  10  per  cent   222,  536. 96 


Total   2,447,906.56 


Having  presented  the  projects  and  estimates  of  cost  for  widening  and 
deepening  the  river,  as  required  by  the  act  under  the  provisions  of 
which  this  report  is  submitted,  the  Board  now  passes  to  the  consider- 
ation of  the  second  part  of  its  instructions,  which  requires  a  statement 
as  to  the  usefulness  of  such  improvements  and  of  their  relations  and 
value  to  commerce,  and  of  the  advisability  of  enteringupon  tin1  same  at 
tin's  time.  This  subdivision  of  the  subject  relates  directly  to  the  char- 
acter and  extent  of  the  present  commerce  of  the  river  and  the  means  by 
which  it  is  transported,  to  possible  modifications  of  that  commerce  in 
the  future,  and  to  the  expediency  of  now  enlarging  the  widths  and 
depths  of  the  existing  channels  to  facilitate  and  maintain  the  present 
commerce  and  to  encourage  and  provide  for  its  future  development. 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


13 


The  Hudson  Eiver  is  an  arm  of  the  sea  extending  inland  for  150  miles. 
For  100  miles  from  its  mouth  the  channel  is  adequately  wide  and  deep 
for  the  largest  vessels,  but  beyond  to  the  head  of  navigation  it  is  nar- 
row, crooked,  and  obstructed  by  shoals  and  rocks. 

The  present  relations  of  the  river  to  commerce  are  of  a  twofold  char- 
acter. First,  it  carries  a  very  huge  local  traffic,  larger  indeed  than 
that  of  any  other  river  in  the  United  States;  and  secondly,  it  forms  an 
important  part  of  a  great  system  of  waterways  extending  through  the 
northern  lakes  to  the  sea.  It  is  impossible  to  divide  the  commerce  of 
the  river  into  classes  corresponding  with  any  degree  of  accuracy  to 
these  two  relations ;  but  it  will  be  sufficient  for  the  purposes  of  this  re- 
port to  consider  as  local  traffic  the  movement  of  all  materials  which  do 
not  come  to  the  river  through  the  State  canals,  and  as  through  traffic 
the  movement  of  all  materials  which  come  through  the  canals  and  are 
principally  carried  down  the  river  to  the  sea,  where  they  are  in  part 
shipped  to  foreign  ports. 

Considering  simply  the  tonnage  transported,  the  local  traffic  of  the 
river  is  by  far  the  more  important,  and  accordingly  attention  is  first  in- 
vited to  this  branch  of  the  subject. 

The  latest  reliable  information  concerning  the  commerce  of  the  Hud- 
son River  is  contained  in  the  Annual  Report  of  the  Chief  of  Engineers 
for  1890,  the  statistics  of  which  were  collected  and  tabulated  with  great 
care  and  thoroughness.  It  appears  from  this  report  that  some  of  the 
principal  sources  of  the  local  commerce  of  the  Hudson  are  as  follows: 

The  Delaware  and  Hudson  Canal,  which  enters  the  river  at  Rondout, 
N.  Y.,  connects  the  Hudson  with  the  anthracite  coal  region  at  Hones- 
ville  and  the  Delaware  Eiver.  The  principal  items  of  tonnage  on  this 
canal  are  coal,  bluestone,  and  cement.  The  Pennsylvania  Coal  Com- 
pany has  a  large  tide-watei;  coal  depot  at  Newburg,  where  also  the 
Erie  Railroad  transfers  large  quantities  of  freight  by  boat  across  the 
river.  The  Erie  Railroad  has  a  coal  depot  at  Piermont,  20  miles  above 
New  York,  where  a  large  supply  is  to  be  handled. 

The  two  principal  industries  of  the  river  which  materially  increase 
the  total  tonnage  are  ice  and  brick.  The  amount  of  ice  annually  har- 
vested generally  exceeds  3,500,000  tons  and  the  number  of  bricks  man- 
ufactured 850,000,000. 

The  total  tonnage  of  all  shipping  points  on  the  river  during  1890, 
exclusive  of  the  tonnage  transported  through  the  State  canals — that  is, 
the  tonnage  corresponding  to  the  local  traffic — was  15,033,309  tons.  It 
was  nearly  three  times  the  tonnage  of  the  through  traffic. 

In  addition  to  this  enormous  commerce,  the  passenger  traffic  should 
be  mentioned.  In  1890  there  were  thirty  Transportation  companies  for 
passengers  or  freight,  not  including  individual  steamboats  or  pleasure 
boats.    The  total  number  of  passengers  carried  was  about  5,000,000. 

But  although  the  volume  of  the  local  traffic  so  greatly  exceeds  that 
of  the  through  traffic,  the  commercial  relations  of  the  river  considered 
as  a  part  of  the  great  system  of  northern  and  western  water  transporta- 
tion are,  from  a  national  point  of  view,  by  far  the  more  interesting 
and  important. 

The  commerce  derived  from  remote  sources  through  connecting  arti- 
ficial water  ways,  or  which  may  be  so  derived  by  future  works,  is  a 
branch  of  the  subject  which  A\  as  strongly  emphasized  by  the  unex- 
pected direction  which  the  discussions  took  at  the  public  hearings,  and 
the  Board  desires  to  give  it  as  liberal  consideration  as  its  instructions 
permit. 

The  Northwest  is  now,  and  will  continue  to  be  in  the  future,  the  great 


14 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


food-producing  region  for  the  States  along  the  coast  and  for  a  part  of 
Europe.  The  map  shows  at  a  glance  the  vast  extent  of  the  territory 
tributary  to  the  Great  Lakes,  the  products  of  which  can  be  delivered  at 
the  lake  ports  and  thence  shipped  to  Lake  Erie  or  Lake  Ontario,  whence 
they  can  be  carried  by  various  land  and  water  routes  to  the  sea.  From 
the  head  of  Lake  Superior  at  Duluth,  the  line  of  water  transportation 
extends  through  Lake  Superior  and  the  St.  Marys  Falls  Canal  into  Lake 
Huron,  where  it  joins  the  lines  from  Chicago  and  Milwaukee  through 
Lake  Michigan ;  it  passes  through  Lake  Huron,  the  St.  Clair  Flats  Canal, 
and  the  Detroit  River  into  Lake  Erie  and  through  the  Welland  Canal 
into  Lake  Ontario.  The  capacity  of  this  route  for  navigation  is  deter- 
mined by  the  minimum  depths  along  it,  which  are  at  the  lake  ports,  the 
St.  Marys  Falls  Canal,  the  St.  Clair  Flats  Canal  and  Detroit  Eiver,  and 
the  Welland  Canal.  The  lake  ports,  St.  Marys  Falls  Canal,  St.  Clair 
Flats  Canal,  and  Detroit  River  carry  at  present  a  minimum  depth  of 
16  feet;  but  the  projects  for  improvement  now  in  progress  contemplate 
in  all  these  localities  a  depth  of  20  feet,  which  will  doubtless  be  secured 
in  the  near  future.  The  Welland  Canal,  which  is  in  foreign  territory, 
carries  a  depth  of  14  feet. 

In  addition  to  the  enormous  volume  of  transportation  along  this  route 
large  quantities  of  grain,  lumber,  and  ore  are  shipped  from  territory  in 
the  vicinity  of  Lakes  Ontario  and  Champlain. 

The  importance  of  the  Hudson  River  in  its  relations  to  these  great 
routes  of  water  transportation  lies  in  the  fact  that  it  forms  a  part  of  all 
but  one  of  the  lines  connecting  Lakes  Erie,  Ontario,  and  Champlain 
with  the  sea;  and  the  location  and  character  of  these  connecting  lines, 
as  well  as  the  relative  volumes  of  the  commerce  passing  over  them, 
must  be  briefly  considered  in  order  to  obtain  a  definite  idea  of  the  value 
of  the  river  to  commerce. 

The  routes  referred  to  are  as  follows : 

1.  The  Erie  Canal  route. — The  Erie  Canal  connects  Lake  Erie  at 
Buffalo  with  the  Hudson  River  at  Troy  and  Albany,  a  distance  of  about 
352  miles.  It  has  71  lift  and  2  guard  locks.  It  has  a  depth  of  7  feet 
over  miter  sills.  The  capacity  of  the  locks  is  now  being  enlarged,  but 
the  depth  is  not  being  increased.  The  total  distance  from  Lake  Erie  to 
the  sea  by  this  route  is  about  482  miles,  and  to  Liverpool  about  3,022  miles. 

2.  The  St.  La  wrence  route. — This  route  connects  Lake  Erie  with  tide 
water  at  Montreal,  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  as  follows :  From  Lake  Brie  to 
Lake  Ontario  by  the  Welland  Canal,  thence  through  Lake  Ontario  to 
the  head  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  and  thence  by  the  river  and  the  five 
canals  around  its  shallows  to  Montreal.  This  route  has  53  locks,  and 
the  distance  from  Lake  Erie  to  Montreal  is  about  375  miles.  The  dis- 
tance from  Lake  Erie  to  Liverpool  is  about  3,220  miles.  The  minimum 
depth  is  now  9  feet  in  the  St.  Lawrence  canals,  but  an  increase  to  14  feet 
depth  is  in  progress. 

3.  The  Osiccf/o  Canal  route. — This  route  connects  Lake  Ontario  at 
Oswego  with  the  Hudson  River  at  Troy  and  Albany  as  foHowa :  By  the 
Oswego  Canal  from  Oswego  to  the  Oneida  River;  thence  by  the  canal 
to  Syracuse  and  also  by  the  Oneida  River,  lake,  and  canal  to  Durham- 
ville,  and  from  Syracuse  or  Durhaniville  by  the  Brie  Canal  to  Troy  and 
Albany.  The  length  of  the  route  is  about  208  miles.  It  has  07  locks 
and  a  depth  of  about  7  feet. 

4.  Z7w  Champlain  Carnal  route. — This  route  connects  Montreal  with 
the  Hudson  Riveras  follows:  From  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  45  miles 
below  Montreal,  to  Lake  Champlain  by  the  Chambly  Canal;  thence 
through  the  Champlain  Canal  to  Waterford,  3  miles  above  the  State 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


15 


dam,  and  thence  by  lock  to  tide  water  on  the  Hudson  at  Troy,  or  by 
Erie  Canal  to  Albany.  This  route  has  30  locks.  The  minimum  dept  h 
is  7  feet,  and  the  distance  from  Montreal  to  Albany  311  miles. 

The  Board  has  not  attempted  a  complete  analysis  of  the  commerce 
transported  over  these  routes  to  the  sea,  the  information  available  not 
being  sufficient  for  this  purpose,  but  the  followrag  statistics,  compiled 
from  the  reports  of  the  Census  Bureau,  the  Canadian  Department  of 
Railways  and  Canals,  and  the  Chief  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  Army,  and 
from  other  authentic  sources,  will  give  a  general  idea  of  the  volumes  of 
traffic  over  the  different  lines : 

During  the  year  ending  June  30,  1890,  the  total  quantity  of  freight 
passing  through  the  Detroit  River  was  nearly  20,000,000  tons.  The 
amount  passing  through  the  New  York  State  canals  was  5,24#,102  tons, 
of  which  the  Oswego  Canal  carried  225,930  tons,  the  Champlain  Canal 
1,520,757  tons,  and  the  Erie  Canal  3,499,409  tons.  The  amount  passing 
through  the  Welland  Canal  during  the  season  of  navigation  in  1890  was 
978,092  tons,  of  which  263,697  tons  were  transported  by  water  to  and 
from  Montreal,  and  533,957  tons  were  moved  between  the  ports  of  the 
United  States.  The  total  quantity  of  freight  coming  to  and  leaving 
the  Hudson  Biver  through  the  State  canals  was  3.502,437  tons. 

A  great  portion  of  the  material  thus  transported  find's  a  market  in  our 
own  country  and  would  not,  under  any  circumstances,  be  carried  in 
seagoing  ships.  A  study  of  the  statistics  of  the  eastward  movement  of 
grain  along  the  different  routes  may  perhaps  serve  to  indicate  more 
clearly  their  relative  importance  in  connection  with  the  export  com- 
merce of  the  country. 

During  the  season  of  1890  the  quantity  of  grain  carried  to  tide  water 
by  the  Sew  York  State  canals  was  1,131,298  tons,  and  by  the  New 
York  State  railways,  3,045,302  tons.  The  quantity  carried  to  Montreal 
through  the  St.  Lawrence  canals  was  242,571  tons,  and  by  rail,  119,208 
tons.  The  total  quantity  transported  over  these  routes  was  4,583,390 
tons.  It  thus  appears  that  about  seven-tenths  of  the  whole  quantity 
moved  was  carried  over  the  railways  and  about  three-tenths  over  the 
water  ways.    Less  than  one-tenth  was  moved  over  Canadian  routes. 

The  figures  given  in  the  above  statements  will  serve  to  indicate  in  a 
general  way  the  great  extent  and  value  of  the  commerce  of  the  Hudson 
Biver.  There  is  no  river  in  the  United  States,  except  the  Detroit  and 
St.  Clair  rivers,  comparable  with  the  Hudson  Biver  for  the  extent, 
variety,  and  value  of  its  commerce,  the  number  of  its  transportation 
companies,  the  number  and  variety  of  its  steam  and  sailing  vessels  and 
barges,  and  the  number  of  passengers  transported  5  and  the  relations  of 
the  river  to  the  lake  navigation  are  peculiarly  interesting  and  signifi- 
cant. In  this  connection  attention  is  invited  to  the  able  papers  in  the 
appendix  read  before  the  Board  by  Hon.  James  H.  Manning,  mayor  of 
Albany;  Mr.  S.  A.  Thompson,  secretary  of  the  Duluth  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce; Hon.  Yreeland  H.  Youngman,  Albanv  Chamber  of  Commerce; 
Hon.  H.  C.  Burleigh,  of  Whitehall;  Hon.  Martin  I.  Townsend,  of  Troy, 
and  others,  to  all  of  which  the  Board  has  given  the  most  careful  con- 
sideration. 

In  discussing  the  question  of  the  expediency  of  now  enlarging  the 
widths  and  depths  of  the  existing  channels,  it  appears  desirable  for  the 
sake  of  clearness  to  examine  the  subject  in  two  parts;  first,  in  relation 
to  existing  commercial  conditions,  and  secondly,  with  reference  to  the 
probable  future  development  of  commerce.  Under  these  heads,  there- 
fore, the  Board  proposes  to  investigate,  first,  the  usefulness  ot  iinprov- 


16 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


ing  the  channel  to  a  depth  of  12  feet  at  mean  low  water,  and  secondly, 
the  expediency  of  its  enlargement  to  greater  depths. 

This  arrangement,  although  it  does  not  conform  to  the  order  indi- 
cated in  the  act,  seems  the  more  satisfactory;  for,  as  will  appear  in  the 
sequel,  the  enlargement  of  the  channel  to  a  depth  ol  12  feet  need  not 
necessarily  be  considered  as  the  full  completion  of  the  improvement, 
but  may  be  regarded  as  merely  the  commencement  of  a  more  extended 
project  to  be  executed  when  found  desirable  in  the  future. 

The  Board  now  proceeds  to  consider  the  usefulness  of  improving  the 
channel  of  the  river  to  a  depth  of  12  feet  at  mean  low  water,  between 
Coxsackie  and  the  State  Dam  at  Troy,  under  the  conditions  of  commerce 
existing  at  the  present  time.  Such  an  improvement  would  evidently  be 
of  no  benefit  to  the  through  traffic,  for  none  of  the  water  lines  connect- 
ing the  Hudson  with  the  lakes  have  a  greater  depth  than  7  feet.  The 
present  river  depths  are  ample  for  vessels  passing  over  these  connect- 
ing lines,  and  the  increase  of  river  depth  proposed  would  not  be  suffi- 
cient for  the  navigation  of  ocean-going  freight  vessels. 

As  regards  the  local  traffic,  however,  the  conditions  are  entirely  dif- 
ferent. The  study  of  the  commercial  history  of  the  river  for  a  number 
of  years  past  impresses  the  Board  with  the  conviction  that  the  existing 
project  for  improvement,  adopted  in  1867,  which  provides  for  a  naviga- 
ble depth  of  11  feet,  mean  low  water,  only  to  Albany,  and  of  9  feet  to 
Troy,  does  not  give  adequate  facilities  for  the  large  commerce  trans- 
ported upon  the  river.  These  depths  barely  exceed  the  draft  of  the 
largest  vessels  which  navigate  the  river  to  the  points  named,  and  when 
from  any  cause  new  bars  are  formed,  or  old  ones  are  enlarged  or  ex- 
tended, the  injuries  suffered  by  commerce  at  extreme  low  stages  through 
detentions  in  various  ways  at  the  shoal  obstructions  are  serious  and  op- 
pressive. In  view  of  the  necessities  of  the  commerce  incident  to  the 
river  proper  and  its  tributary  country,  the  Board  is  of  the  opinion  that 
the  project  for  improvement  adopted  in  1807  should  be  extended  so  as  to 
provide  for  a  channel  depth  of  at  least  12  feet  at  mean  low  water,  and 
that  such  an  extension  is  well  worth  the  expenditure  required  for  its 
execution. 

The  proposed  projects  for  the  improvement  of  the  river  channel  up 
to  Albany,  and  also  up  to  the  State  Dam  at  Troy,  for  the  navigation  of 
seagoing  vessels  drawing  20  feet  of  water  (that  is,  to  a  depth  of  at  least 
22  feet),  bear  relations  to  existing  commercial  conditions  very  different 
from  the  12-foot  project  above  considered.  As  regards  the  local  traffic 
it  is  probable  that  it  will  not  under  any  circumstances  be  conducted  in 
vessels  of  20  feet  draft,  and  a  channel  of  22  feet  depth  would  be  of  but 
little  more  practical  benefit  to  that  traffic  than  the  12-foot  channel  above 
referred  to.  It  is  therefore  with  reference  to  the  through  traffic  alone 
that  the  Board  thinks  this  project  for  a  channel  of  22  feet  depth  worthy 
of  careful  investigation.  The  arguments  in  favor  of  such  an  improve- 
ment were  fully  and  ably  presented  to  the  Board  at  its  two  public  meet- 
ings held  at  Albany  and  at  New  York.  These  arguments,  so  far  as  they 
relate  to  existing  commercial  conditions,  may  be  briefly  summarized  as 
follows : 

By  the  construction  of  a  deep-water  channel  to  Albany  and  Troy 
the  ocean  will  be  directly  joined  to  the  canals.  Vessels  navigating  the 
canals  can  then  discharge  their  cargoes  at  Albany  and  Troy,  avoiding 
the  expense  and  delay  of  going  down  the  river  to  New  York,  and  thus 
the  carrying  capacity  of  the  canals  will  be  increased.  The  difference 
in  cost  of  transportation  to  New  York  would  be  saved.  It  is  argued 
that,  owing  to  the  expense  and  delay  arising  from  the  lack  of  terminal 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


17 


facilities  at  New  York,  seagoing  vessels  would  prefer  to  take  tlieir  car- 
goes at  Troy  and  Albany  were  tfheehannels  of  stCfficient  dimensions  for 
their  navigation.  A  large  quantity  of  lumber,  now  generally  shipped 
in  bond  by  rail  from  Ottawa,  Canada,  to  Boston  for  export,  could,  if  the 
channels  were  deepened,  be  sent  by  rail  to  Albany  and  thence  shipped 
direct  to  South  American  and  other  foreign  ports  with  ;i  considerable 
reduction  in  expense.  Finally,  attention  was  invited  to  the  importance 
of  a  deep-water  channel  in  case  of  war,  so  that  our  vessels  could  go 
directly  to  the  Watervliet  Arsenal  tor  military  supplies. 

The  Board  has  given  these  arguments  careful  consideration, and  begs 
to  submit  the  following  remarks  in  relation  thereto:  While  it  is  doubt- 
less true  that  the  traffic  of  the  Hudson  River  would  be  materially  in- 
creased if  seagoing  vessels  could  and  would  go  to  Albany  or  Troy  to 
take  their  cargoes,  it  is  believed  that  such  increase  would  be  principally 
if  not  wholly  derived  from  materials  brought  to  the  shipping  points  by 
rail,  such  as  the  lumber  from  Canada  referred  to  above.  The  carrying 
capacities  of  the  canals  are  determined  principally  by  the  number  of 
boats  which  can  be  passed  daily  through  their  locks,  and  these  capaci- 
ties can  be  increased  only  by  improvements  in  their  lockage  facilities. 
Such  improvements  are  now  in  progress  on  the  Erie  and  Oswego  canals, 
but  they  do  not  provide  for  any  increase  of  depths.  The  Board  is  of  the 
opinion  that  the  volume  of  through  traffic  on  the  canals  can  not  be 
sensibly  increased  by  the  construction  of  a  deep-water  river  channel  so 
long  as  the  navigable  depths  of  the  canals  remain  unimproved. 

But  the  Board  considers  it  doubtful  if  any  considerable  number  of 
seagoing  vessels  would  go  to  Albany  or  Troy  to  receive  cargoes  even  if 
a  deep  water  channel  existed.  If,  as  has  been  stated,  the  terminal 
facilities  at  New  York  are  inadequate  and  unsatisfactory,  they  can  and 
doubtless  will  be  improved  at  points  nearer  than  Albany  and  Troy,  for 
there  is  no  lack  of  natural  advantages  in  the  harbor  and  its  immediate 
vicinity. 

New  York  is  the  center  of  a  vast  population,  and  the  point  from 
which  by  far  the  greater  proportion  of  incoming  commerce  is  and  must 
always  be  distributed.  Seagoing  vessels  receiving  their  cargoes  at 
Troy  or  Albany  would,  therefore,  generally  have  to  go  to  these  points 
in  ballast.  Considering  the  delay,  cost  of  pilotage,  and  other  incidental 
expenses,  the  Board  doubts  whether  any  material  saving  in  the  cost 
of  transportation  would  result.  Wheat  has  been  carried  this  summer 
from  Chicago  to  New  York  for  5  cents  per  bushel,  and  the  Board  is  not 
convinced  that,  under  existing  conditions,  a  sufficient  reduction  in  cost 
of  transportation  would  result  from  the  deepening  of  the  Hudson  to 
produce  an  effect  upon  the  relative  quantities  transported  over  the  dif- 
ferent routes  which  would  justify  the  large  expenditure  involved.  If 
the  extension  of  the  deep-water  channel  is  desirable,  why,  it  may  be 
asked,  is  not  the  Hudson  now  navigated  by  seagoing  vessels  to  the  exist- 
ing head  of  the  deep-water  channel  at  Athens  or  Hudson,  100  miles  from 
New  York?  This  question  has  been  answered  by  the  statement  that 
at  these  points  there  are  no  facilities  for  distribution  and  no  adequate 
connections  with  the  great  lines  of  through  transportation.  But  it 
seems  probable  that  such  facilities  and  connections  would  soon  be  pro- 
vided if  they  were  urgently  demanded  by  the  necessities  of  commerce. 

In  this  connection  attention  is  invited  to  a  communication  from  the 
committee  on  harbor  and  shipping  of  the  New  York  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, submitted  to  the  Board  at  its  request,  wherein  the  portion  of 
commerce  which  may  possibly  be aflfected  by  the  proposed  improvement 
is  presented.  This  paper  will  be  found  in  the  appendix. 
II.  Ex.  29  35 


18 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


The  committee  concludes  that  the  improvement  can  not  be  of  benefit 
to  sailing  vessels  or  steamers  of  the  regular  lines,  and  that  advantage 
can  be  derived  therefrom  only  by  transient  freight-seeking  steamers 
with  a  loaded  draft  of  20  feet  or  less,  during  the  brief  period  between 
harvest  and  the  closing  of  the  canals,  and  in  spring  from  the  opening 
of  the  canals  until  the  movement  of  the  crops  ceases.  The  figures  sub- 
mitted by  the  committee  indicate  that  the  total  exports  from  Sew  York 
in  1890  were  6,258,222  tons,  of  which  4,829,775  tons  were  shipped  by 
steamer.  The  tonnage  brought  to  tide  water  from  the  canal  system, 
much  of  which  was  distributed  in  the  United  States,  was  3,024,765  tons. 
The  exports  derived  from  the  canals,  carried  by  the  regular  steamer 
lines,  are  estimated  by  the  committee  at  1,503,161  tons,  and  by  the 
transient  steamers  278,831  tons.  The  amount  carried  by  transient 
steamers  of  a  draft  of  20  feet  or  less,  which  the  committee  considers 
could  alone  be  benefited  by  the  proposed  improvement,  is  estimated  at 
75,390  tons. 

If  these  statements  be  accepted  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose,  however, 
that  in  case  improvements  in  depth  are  effected,  a  larger  number  of 
steamers  conforming  to  the  modified  conditions  would  be  provided,  if 
these  were  made  sufficient  to  invite  them. 

The  Board  does  not  feel  called  upon  to  express  an  opinion  as  regards 
the  necessity  of  this  improvement  for  military  purposes,  this  branch  of 
the  subject  not  having  been  included  in  its  instructions.  The  authori- 
ties in  charge  of  matters  relating  to  the  national  defense  will  doubtless 
determine  whether  it  is  desirable  to  locate  our  military  establishments 
where  adequate  water  communications  now  exist  or  improve  the  lines 
of  water  transportation  to  other  points. 

In  view  of  the  facts  and  reasons  above  set  forth,  the  Board  is  of  the 
opinion  that  the  possible  benefits  to  commerce  to  be  derived  from  the 
proposed  improvement  for  vessels  drawing  20  feet  are  not  under  exist- 
ing conditions  sufficient  to  justify  at  this  time  the  expenditure  neces- 
sary to  make  such  improvement. 

But  a  very  important  branch  of  the  subject  still  remains  to  be  con- 
sidered, viz,  the  relations  of  these  improvements  to  the  future  develop- 
ment of  commerce.  It  can  not  be  doubted  that  this  development  will 
continue  as  rapidly  as  in  the  past,  for  the  grain-producing  area  is  con- 
tinually extending  towards  the  Northwest.  The  Board  is  fully  im- 
pressed with  the  importance  of  these  lines  of  water  transportation  in 
their  relations  to  the  large  and  rapidly  increasing  traffic  from  the  lakes 
to  the  sea.  The  relative  volumes  carried  by  water  and  by  rail  have 
already  been  indicated;  but  even  if  improvements  in  the  water  routes 
should  not  increase  the  relative  quantities  transported  over  them,  the 
Board  is  of  the  opinion  that  such  improvements  will  be  of  the  greatest 
benefit  to  commerce.  The  influence  of  these  routes  in  the  reduction 
and  control  of  railway  rates  has  a  commercial  value  far  greater  than  is 
indicated  by  the  mere  tonnage  carried.  It  is  also  evident  that  as  pop- 
ulation increases  and  the  development  of  the  railway  system  ap- 
proaches its  profitable  limit  the  relative  importance  of  the  lines  of 
wiitcr  transportation  will  be  augmented,  and  the  necessity  for  improv- 
ing them  to  their  utmost  capacities  will  finally  become  in  perative.  A 
large  portion  of  these  lines  is  not  under  the  control  of  the  General  Gov- 
ernment, but  the  Board  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  part  whieh  is  under 
such  control  should  always  be  fully  developed  to  keep  pace  with  the 
improvements  made  along  the  interior  and  connecting  lines. 

The  attention  of  the  Board  has  been  invited  to  the  foci  that  the  Ca- 
nadian Government  is  now  engaged  in  the  improvement  of  its  water 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


19 


route  from  the  lakes  to  the  sea,  and  soon  will  have  established  a  route 
trom  Lake  Erie  through  Lake  Ontario  and  down  the  St.  Lawrence 
River  with  a  minimum  depth  of  14  feet.  When  this  route  is  completed  it 
is  feared  by  the  advocates  of  the  improvement  now  under  consideration 
that  a  considerable  part  of  the  commerce  now  traversing- our  own  water 
ways  will  be  diverted  through  a  foreign  country,  unless  the  change  is 
met  by  corresponding  improvements  in  our  own  water  routes.  In  this 
connection,  however,  it  should  be  remarked  that  only  about  8  per  cent 
of  the  products  of  the  Northwest  finds  its  way  to  the  sea  for  export. 
The  grain  product  of  the  United  States  and  Canada  for  1S90  is  esti- 
mated at  about  2,650,000,000  bushels,  while  the  quantity  of  grain  ex- 
ported, including  flour,  during  the  same  year  was  about  211,000,000 
bushels,  or  less  than  one-twelfth  (8  per  cent  of  the  total  production). 
The  market  for  by  far  the  greater  part  of  these  products  lies  in  our  own 
country,  south  of  the  lakes  and  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  no  improvement 
of  water  ways  in  Canada  or  elsewhere  can  greatly  influence  the  general 
direction  of  its  movement. 

But  although  this  danger  of  losing  a  part  of  our  carrying  trade  has, 
perhaps,  been  somewhat  magnified,  it  is  still  a  real  one;  and  accord- 
ingly various  projects  for  the  improvement  of  our  water  routes  have 
been  proposed  and  discussed.  The  most  important  of  these — indeed, 
the  only  one  which  need  be  considered  in  connection  with  the  proposed 
improvement  of  the  Hudson — is  the  radical  enlargement  of  the  Erie 
Canal,  so  as  to  permit  its  navigation  by  the  largest  vessels  now  carry- 
ing the  commerce  of  the  Great  Lakes.  This  project  requires  an  increase 
of  depth  to  at  least  IS  feet,  a  corresponding  widening,  and  reconstruc- 
tion of  the  entire  lock  system  on  a  grand  scale.  The  cost  of  the  work 
involved  has  been  variously  estimated  at  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to 
two  hundred  and  fifty  millions  of  dollars.  The  Board  begs  to  refer  to  a 
\  paper  by  Mr.  E.  Sweet,  and  the  accompanying  discussion  by  other  dis- 
tinguished engineers,  published  in  the  transactions  of  the  American 
Society  of  Civil  Engineers,  February,  1885,  in  which  this  project  is  fully 
and  most  ably  considered. 

Should  this  proposed  enlargement  of  the  Erie  Canal  be  effected,  the 
Board  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  full  deepening  of  the  Hudson  Eiver  to 
22  feet  would  become  a  necessity,  but  for  reasons  very  different  from 
those  considered  iu  connection  with  the  conditions  of  commerce  as  they 
now  exist.  The  object  of  the  improvement  would  no  longer  be  to  bring 
seagoing  vessels  to  Albany  and  Troy  to  receive  their  cargoes,  but  to  en- 
able vessels  navigating  the  lakes  to  carry  their  cargoes  clear  through, 
not  only  to  the  coast  but  also  to  foreign  ports,  without  rehandling  them 
at  any  intermediate  points. 

In  view  of  the  vast  commercial  interests  involved,  such  an  improve- 
ment in  the  future  can  not  be  considered  as  beyond  the  limits  of  possi- 
bility; but  the  Board  believes  its  commencement,  or  even  its  serious 
contemplation  at  the  present  time,  to  be  highly  improbable.  The  res- 
ponsibility of  the  large  expenditure  required  will  not  be  assumed  until 
it  is  settled  beyond  a  doubt  that  commensurate  benefits  will  be  obtained ; 
and  this  is  a  question  with  reference  to  which  the  views  of  experts  are 
still  at  variance.  The  plans  now  in  process  of  execution  by  the  State 
of  Xew  York  to  increase  the  capacity  of  the  canals  do  not  contemplate 
the  ultimate  forma  tion  of  channels  for  ships,  but  involve  large  expendi- 
tures which  will  be  completely  useless  should  a  deep-water  project  be 
finally  adopted. 

The  improvement  of  the  several  water  routes  from  the  lakes  to  New 
York  City,  on  a  much  less  extensive  scale  than  that  proposed  at  the 


20 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


public  hearing,  received  the  consideration  of  Congress  in  1874,  and  for 
information  of  the  details  of  the  improvement  then  proposed  and  the 
estimated  cost,  the  Board  invites  attention  to  the  report  on  the  "  Third 
Subdivision  of  the  Northern  Transportation  Route,"  through  northern 
and  central  New  York,  made  to  comply  with  the  act  of  Congress  ap- 
proved June  24,  1874,  and  contained  in  the  Annual  Eeport  of  the  Chief 
of  Engineers  for  1875,  Part  II,  page  534. 

Finally  the  Board  invites  attention  to  the  interesting  experiment 
now  under  trial  of  carrying  unbroken  cargoes  through  from  Duluth  to 
Liverpool  in  vessels  of  only  14  feet  draft.  On  June  11, 1891,  the  Charles 
W.  Wetmore,  a  steel  vessel  of  the  new  "  whaleback"  type,  left  Duluth 
for  Liverpool  with  a  cargo  of  70,418  bushels  of  wheat,  this  being  the 
first  clearance  from  Lake  Superior  for  a  foreign  port.  She  passed 
through  the  lakes  and  Welland  Canal,  lightering  a  part  of  her  cargo 
at  Kingston  and  taking  it  on  again  with  an  additional  load  at  Montreal, 
proceeded  down  the  St.  Lawrence  to  the  sea,  and  finally  arrived  at 
Liverpool  with  87,503  bushels  of  wheat  on  July  21,  1891.  When  the 
improvements  now  in  progress  on  the  Canadian  canals  are  completed, 
it  is  said  that  such  a  vessel  will  be  able  to  carry  an  unkroken  cargo  of 
nearly  3,000  tons  from  Lake  Superior  to  a  foreign  port  and  return.  The 
successful  introduction  of  such  vessels  may  possibly  revolutionize  the 
carrying  trade  of  the  Great  Lakes,  and  render  unnecessary  the  forma- 
tion of  channel  depths  so  great  as  are  now  considered  desirable  in  the 
lines  of  water  transportation. 

In  view  of  the  above  considerations  the  Board  is  of  the  opinion  that 
the  present  demands  of  commerce,  and  its  probable  development  in  the 
near  future,  do  not  now  justify  the  expenditure  of  the  amount  of  money 
necessary  for  the  formation  of  the  proposed  channel  for  seagoing  ves- 
sels drawing  20  feet  of  water  from  New  York  to  Albany  or  to  the  State 
Dam  at  Troy. 

CONCLUSIONS  OF  THE  BOARD. 

The  Board,  after  thoroughly  analyzing  the  duties  imposed  upon  it  by 
the  act  of  September  19,  1890,  now  presents  its  conclusions  with  some 
degree  of  confidence  that  every  legitimate  interest  submitted  to  its  judg- 
ment has  had  its  full  share  of  consideration. 

First. — The  estimates  of  cost  of  carrying  out  the  two  projects  con- 
tained in  the  said  act,  which  provide  for  widening  and  deepening  the 
channels  between  New  York  City  and  the  city  of  Albany,  and  between 
New  York  City  and  the  city  of  Troy,  for  the  navigation  of  seagoing  ves- 
sels drawing  20  feet  of  water,  are  $5,934,847.60  and  $19,507,832.74,  re- 
spectively. 

The  improvements  to  be  effected  by  this  large  expenditure  will,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  Board,  confer  no  important  practical  benefit  upon  com- 
merce until  the  suggested  artificial  water  connection,  350  miles  long  and 
of  adequate  depth,  is  made  between  the  Hudson  River  and  Lake  Erie, 
through  the  State  of  New  York,  at  an  additional  cost  estimated  as  high 
as  $150,000,000  to  $250,000,000. 

In  view  of  the  excessive  cost  of  these  several  projects,  singly  or  com- 
bined; of  the  improbability  that  either  the  State  or  the  General  Gov- 
ernment will  assume,  at  an  early  day,  the  responsibility  of  making  such 
an  artificial  deep-water  connection;  and  of  the  long  period  of  time 
which  must  necessarily  elapse  before  such  a  connection  can  be  made 
between  river  and  lake,  even  if  such  an  undertaking  were  in  progress 
to-day,  the  Board  is  of  the  opinion  that  it  is  not  advisable  at  this  time 
to  enter  upon  the  projects  for  deepening  the  Hudson  River  from  the 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


21 


mouth  to  Albany,  or  to  Troy,  Y.,  for  the  navigation  of  sea-going  ves- 
sels drawing  20  feet  of  water.  What  is  practically  the  commencement 
of  such  a  project  with  a  view  to  its  ultimate  complete  execution  in  the 
future,  when  the  needs  of  commerce  require  it,  is,  however,  considered 
desirable;  but  the  Board  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  improvement  should 
not  be  carried  to  the  full  depth  of  22  feet  at  the  present  time. 

Second. — After  carefully  studying  the  wants  of  commerce,  the  Board 
is  of  the  opinion  that  the  third  project  contained  in  the  act  of  Septem- 
ber 19,  1890,  which  provides  for  improving  the  Hudson  River  "  bet  ween 
Coxsaekie  and  the  State  Dam  at  Troy  to  such  an  extent  as  to  secure  a 
navigable  channel  12  feet  deep  at  mean  low  water,"  is  a  worthy  and  use- 
ful one,  and  accordingly  recommends  it  for  adoption. 

In  the  estimates  submitted  for  this  project,  the  Board  has  adopted  a 
channel  400  feet  wide  to  Troy,  and  thence  300  feet  wide  to  State  Dam  at 
Troy. 

The  Board  recommends  that  the  regulating  works  between  Troy  and 
New  Baltimore,  provided  for  in  the  existing  project,  be  maintained  and 
that  supplementary  regulating  works  of  a  permanent  character  be  pro- 
vided between  New  Baltimore  and  Coxsaekie. 

The  Board  describes  in  a  general  way  only  the  supplementary  works 
required  to  be  built,  as  it  is  expected  that  further  study  and  investiga- 
tion as  the  work  of  improvement  progresses  may  lead  the  local  officer 
to  recommend  a  modification  of  such  works  both  as  regards  their  loca- 
tion and  extent,  as  well  as  the  exact  dimensions  which  shall  be  given 
to  them. 

In  conclusion,  in  order  that  the  good  results  which  may  be  expected 
to  follow  upon  the  comj)letion  of  the  recommended  project  may  be 
realized  at  the  earliest  practicable  moment,  the  Board  further  recom- 
mends that  liberal  appropriations,  commensurate  with  the  importance 
of  the  work,  be  made  annually,  so  that  the  desired  improvement  may 
be  completed  within  a  period  not  exceeding  five  years. 

The  papers  enumerated  below  accompany  this  report  as  appendices: 

(1)  Report  of  Mr.  Oharles  G.  Weir,  assistant  engineer,  dated  July  21,  1891,  on  bor- 

ings made  along  the  bed  of  the  Hudson  by  direction  of  the  Board  of  Engi- 
neers. 

(2)  Stenographer's  report  of  the  public  meeting  held  in  Albany  January  6,  1891. 

(3)  Stenographer's  report  of  the  public  meeting  held  in  New  York  May  15,  1891. 

(4)  Communication  from  the  committee  on  harbor  and  shipping  of  the  New  York 

Chamber  of  Commerce. 

(5)  Letters  and  resolutions  filed  with  the  Board  of  Engineers  by  the  secretary  of  the 

Chamber  of  Commerce,  Albany,  N.  Y. 

G.  L.  Gillespie, 

Lieut.  Col.  of  Engineers. 
Amos  Stickney, 

Major  of  Engineers, 
C.  W.  Raymond, 

Major  of  Engineers. 

Brig.  Gen.  Thomas  L.  Casey, 

Chief  of  Engineers,  TJ.  S.  A. 


22 


• 

HUDSON  RIVER. 


APPENDIXES. 

Appendix  1. 

report  op  mr.  charles  g.  weir,  assistant  engineer,  on  borings  along 

hudson  river. 

United  States  Engineer  Office, 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  July  21,  1891. 

COLONEL :  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  on  the  examina- 
tions and  borings  in  the  Hudson  River,  between  the  State  dam  at  Troy  and  the 
city  of  Hudson,  made  to  determine  the  character  and  depth  of  deposits  that  would 
be  encountered  in  excavating  a  channel  for  vessels  drawing  20  feet  of  water,  to 
comply  with  the  river  and  harbor  act  of  Congress  of  September  19,  1890. 

This  work  was  begun  October  28, 1890,  and  continued  until  December  2,  when, 
on  account  of  the  cold  weather  and  ice,  work  was  suspended  for  the  season. 

On  April  24, 1891,  the  work  of  making  the  borings  and  examinations  was  again 
resumed,  and  completed  July  10,  1891.  That  portion  of  the  river  from  Troy  to 
Hudson,  a  distance  of  36i  miles,  was  thoroughly  examined.  Where  there  was 
no  indication  of  rock  cross  sections  were  taken  every  1,000  feet  apart;  where 
rock  was  encountered  the  distance  between  cross  sections  was  from  250  to  500 
feet.  Three  borings  were  taken  to  each  cross  section,  so  as  to  cover  a  channel 
width  of  400  feet,  and  all  borings  carried  to  a  depth  of  22  feet  below  the  plane  of 
mean  low  water  where  practicable,  and  samples  taken  of  the  material  of  all  the 
principal  bars. 

The  manner  of  making  the  borings  and  securing  the  samples  of  deposit  varied 
according  to  the  exigencies  of  the  case.  Where  no  hard  material  was  encoun- 
tered and  the  depth  of  the  water  only  necessitated  a  few  feet  boring,  a  boring- 
rod  with  a  steel  point  10  feet  long  was  used  and  pushed  down  through  the  de- 
posit by  manual  labor.  In  all  other  cases  a  3-inch  pipe,  in  lengths  of  3,  5,  and  10 
feet,  connected  together  by  couplings,  was  used.  A  drill  platform  was  con- 
structed on  the  principle  of  a  float,  the  platform  resting  on  four  oil  barrels  and 
being  supported  and  steadied  by  10-inch  by  12-inch  hemlock  timbers  on  its  sides. 
Four  3-inch  iron  pipes  were  used  as  spuds,  one  on  each  corner,  passing  through 
holes  in  the  square  timber;  these,  when  let  down  to  the  bottom,  served  to  hold 
the  platform  in  position.  An  aperture  3  feet  by  2  feet  was  left  in  the  center  of 
the  float,  and  on  this  a  tripod  hoist  was  built,  with  a  block  and  tackle,  to  hoist 
and  lower  the  boring  pipe  through  the  aperture.  After  the  3-inch  pipe  was 
driven  2  to  3  feet  in  the  bottom  a  f-inch  gas  pipe  was  inserted,  through  which 
a  jet  of  water  was  forced  from  a  donkey  engine  on  board  the  tugboat,  which  was 
used  for  this  purpose,  for  towing  the  float  and  boarding  the  men.  This  pipe  was 
jumped  up  and  down  on  the  material  in  the  3-inch  pipe,  and  the  jet  constantly 
playing,  the  material  was  forced  up  through  the  3-inch  pipe,  and  by  a  Y  into  a 
bucket,  and  the  material  of  each  deposit  thus  collected.  Doubtful  borings  were 
tested  with  a  dredge. 

The  borings  were  located  by  the  sextant  and  platted  on  the  maps.  The  total 
number  of  borings  taken  was  694,  and  the  total  linear  feet  of  material  passed 
through,  6,839  feet,  at  a  cost  for  plant  and  labor  of  $2,365,  making  an  average 
cost  of  $3.40  for  each  boring,  or  about  34  cents  per  linear  foot  boring. 

Rock  was  encountered  at  a  depth  of  from  7  to  17  feet  below  mean  low  water 
from  the  State  dam  to  Breakers  Island,  a  distance  of  3i  miles.  Then  for  a  stretch 
of  8  miles  down  to  the  Overslaugh  Rock  no  rock  was  found  at  a  depth  of  22  feet. 
From  that  point  for  a  distance  of  li  miles,  to  Staats,  rock  outcrops  in  places  above 
the  22-foot  plane.  From  that  point  for  a  distance  of  5  miles,  to  Mulls,  no  rock  oc- 
curs, excepting  a  little  at  Cedar  Hill  Bar,  which  is  west  of  the  channel.  At 
Mulls  the  rocky  formation  is  well  to  the  westward  of  the  channel.  Between 
Mulls  Cross-Over  and  the  city  of  Hudson  there  is  only  one  point  where  rock  was 
encountered,  and  that  is  just  "below  New  Baltimore,  otf  Matthews  Point,  and  is 
evidently  only  a  reef  running  across  the  river. 

Of  the  samples  collected,  24  were  selected  as  representing  the  character  of  the 
deposits  of  the  bars  between  Troy  and  Hudson.  The  material  constituting  these 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


23 


bars,  it  will  be  noted,  consists  of  coarse  gravel  near  the  State  dam  at  Troy,  and 
coarse  sand  at  Fish  House  Shoal,  which  becomes  finer  the  farther  down  stream. 
In  places  also  will  be  noted  the  stratification,  where  fine  sand  is  encountered, 
then  coarse  sand  and  gravel,  and  underneath  fine  sand  again.  As  the  transport- 
ing power  of  water  varies  as  the  sixth  power  of  the  velocity,  a  current  running  3 
feet  per  second,  or  about  2  miles  per  hour,  will  move  fragments  the  size  of  a 
hen's  egg,  from  2  to  3  ounces.  There  being  considerable  slope  in  the  first  4 
miles  of  the  river  from  the  dam  south,  it  is  readily  seen  that  the  velocity  of 
the  current  must  be  greater,  and  consequently  the  material  of  the  bars  in  this 
portion  of  the  river  is  much  coarser.  If  the  velocity  of  a  current  bearing  sedi- 
ment be  checked  the  sediment  is  deposited.  In  running  water,  with  a  variable 
current,  coarser  material  will  be  carried  and  deposited  where  finer  was  previ- 
ously deposited  if  the  velocity  increases,  and  also  finer  material  will  be  deposited 
on  coarser  material  if  the  velocity  decreases,  producing  perfect  stratification. 
Thus  the  strata  of  the  material  of  the  several  bars  can  be  readily  understood. 

In  a  river  erosion  takes  place  on  the  outer  side  of  a  current,  because  the  cur- 
rent is  swiftest,  and  deposition  is  taking  place  on  the  inner  side,  because  there 
the  current  is  slowest. 

This  applies  to  and  explains  all  the  shoals  on  the  river,  which  are  located  at 
such  points  where  there  is  a  deflection  of  the  direction  of  the  current  and  the 
velocity  on  one  side  is  greater  than  on  the  other. 
Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

Charles  G.  Weir, 

Assistant  Engineer. 

Lieut.  Col.  G.  L.  Gillespie, 

Corps  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  A. 


Appendix  2. 

stenographer's  report  of  a  public  meeting  held  in  the  city  hall, 
albany,  n.  y.,  on  the  6th  day  of  january,  1891,  and  called  by  the 
board  of  officers  of  the  corps  of  engineers,  consisting  of  lieu- 
tenant-colonel george  l.  gillespie,  major  amos  stickney,  major 
charles  w.  raymond.  constituted  by  paragraph  1,  special  orders 
no.  66,  headquarters.  corps  of  engineers.  september  30.  1890,  to  con- 
sider and  report  upon  the  obstructions  to  navigation  in  the  hud- 
son river,  under  the  provisions  of  section  17  of  the  river  and 
harbor  act  #of  september  19,  1890. 

Col.  Gillespie.  The  meeting  will  come  to  order.  It  is  taken  for  granted  that 
the  object  of  this  meeting  is  well  known  to  the  gentlemen  present,  but  whether 
this  be  so  or  not  I  deem  it  essential  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Engineers  pres- 
ent to-day  to  make  the  official  statement  that  we  have  met  for  the  purpose  of 
procuring  information  supposed  to  repose  in  the  people  who  are  assembled  here. 
The  river  and  harbor  act  of  September  19, 1890,  made  provision  for  the  Secretary 
of  War  to  organize  a  Board  of  Engineers  composed  of  three  officers  of  the  Corps 
of  Engineers,  whose  duty  it  should  be  to  examine  the  Hudson  River  as  it  now 
exists,  and  report  a  project  and  estimate  of  the  cost  of  widening  and  deepening 
it  so  as  to  provide  a  means  of  communication  from  the  city  of  New  York  to  Al- 
bany for  vessels  drawing  20  feet  of  water  ;  and  also  a  separate  estimate  for  ex- 
tending this  communication  to  Troy.  There  is  also  to  be  a  third  estimate  for 
providing  a  mean  low-water  channel  of  12  feet  from  Coxsackie  to  Troy.  The 
Board  so  authorized  is  present  here  to-day. 

The  existing  navigation  of  the  Hudson  River  gives  11  feet  at  low  water  from 
New  York  City  to  Albany  and  9  feet  to  Troy.  I  give  these  as  approximate 
depths. 

The  last  project  for  the  improvement  of  the  Hudson  River  by  the  General  Gov- 
ernment, adopted  in  1806,  was  formulated  by  the  Engineer  officer  at  that  time  in 
local  charge.  Gen.  Newton,  who  is,  I  believe,  known  to  you.  It  provided  for  11 
feet  to  Albany  and  9  feet  to  Troy.  The  desired  results  have  been  accomplished 
by  the  joint  efforts  of  the  State  of  New  York  and  the  General  Government,  both 
authorities  having  worked  harmoniously  towards  the  general  good. 

You  will  understand  that  the  improvement  which  is  now  foreshadowed  by  the 
late  act  of  Congress  requires  a  very  considerable  deepening  of  the  river,  and  if 
that  act  had  limited  the  matter  simply  to  the  question  of  estimates  the  duties  of 
this  Board  would  have  been  very  much  curtailed.    It  would  have  been  only  pro- 


24 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


fessioniJ  work,  and  we  should  probably  have  made  the  estimates  and  submitted 
our  report  without  conferring  with  those  who  live  along  the  banks  of  the  river 
or  are  directly  interested  in  its  improvement.  But,  coupled  with  the  requirements 
for  a  report  and  estimates,  the  river  and  harbor  act  contains  provisions  for  the 
expression  of  opinions  on  the  part  of  the  Board,  which  the  Board  does  not  regard 
in  every  way  as  professional.  They  are  partly,  but  not  entirely  so.  These  pro- 
visions embody  three  thoughts:  First,  the  usefulness  of  this  new  work;  second, 
the  value  and  relations  of  the  new  work  to  commerce;  and  third  and  lastly,  and 
which  the  Board  regards  as  a  very  important  thought,  is  the  expediency  of  un- 
dertaking this  work  at  this  time. 

With  a  little  consideration  you  will  readily  understand  that  these  last  require- 
ments are  very  comprehensive,  and  the  Board  has  been  unwilling  to  submit  an 
expression  of  opinion  upon  them  without  having  first  fully  conferred  with  you, 
in  order  to  ascertain  your  views,  so  that  when  the  time  arrives  for  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  final  report  we  may  feel  that  we  had  considered  every  interest,  and 
that  the  people  may  feel  that  the  Board  had  made  every  possible  effort  to  reach, 
for  conference,  those  whose  interests  were  involved. 

Such,  gentlemen,  is  the  case  as  it  now  comes  before  you,  and  we  wish  to  hear 
every  one  who  has  anything  to* say  in  regard  to  this  improvement,  its  useful- 
ness, its  value  m  relation  to  commerce,  however  remote,  and  as  to  the  expe- 
diency of  this  work.  We  desire  you  to  submit  your  views  fully,  either  orally  or 
in  writing.  A  stenographer  is  present  to  report  the  proceedings. 
•  In  conclusion,  the  Board  desires  to  express  its  thanks  to  the  Albany  Chamber 
of  Commerce  for  the  interest  it  has  taken  in  regard  to  this  meeting,  and  also  to 
its  honored  secretary,  Mr.  Wheeler,-  for  his  energetic  cooperation,  which  has 
done  so  much  to  lighten  the  labors  of  the  Board. 

J.  Howard  King,  President  of  the  Albany  Chamber  of  Commerce  : 

Gentlemen  :  I  have  great  pleasure  in  presenting  his  honor  James  H.  Man 
ning,  mayor  of  the  city  of  Albany,  wno  will  welcome  the  Commission  to  the  city, 
and  will  open  the  addresses  in  behalf  of  the  cities  of  Albany  and  Troy  in  regard 
to  this  project. 

JAMES  H.  MANNING. 
[Mayor  of  Albany.] 

Gentlemen  of  the  Engineering  Corps  of  the  U.  S.  Army,  delegates  of  the  various 
cities  near  to  or  far  from  Albany,  members  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the 
city  of  Albany,  as  the  chief  magistrate  of  a  city  of  a  ripe  old  age  and  glorious 
history,  and  one  which  has  not  a  blemish  on  its  fair  name,  it  affords  me  a  great 
deal  of  pleasure  to  welcome  you,  one  and  all,  to  our  hospitable  shores. 

The  subject  which  we  have  to  consider  to-day  is  one  of  great  importance,  not 
merely  to  the  city  of  Albany,  but  to  the  State  at  large.  Therefore  I  do  not  come 
before  you  to  satisfy  any  selfish  interest  so  far  as  Albany  itself  is  concerned,  but 
I  appear  here  as  a  citizen  of  the  State  of  New  York  to  ask  that  this  great  proj- 
ect, the  deepening  of  the  Hudson  River  from  Coxsackie  to  the  Troy  State  dam, 
shall  be  taken  in  hand  by  the  Federal  Government.  The  State  of  New  York  has 
done  its  full  share  to  benefit  the  commerce  of  the  country,  and  the  object  of  this 
meeting  has  been  to  enlist  people  from  New  York  State  away  out  to  the  Lakes 
in  what  we  believe  should  be  the  great  water  way  from  the  West  to  the  Atlantic. 

We  are  met  in  behalf  of  the  commercial  and  business  interests.  It  is  not  my 
place  to  take  up  your  valuable  time  by  any  discussion  of  this  project,  and  I  do  not 
intend  to  do  so.  The  argument  will  be  presented,  after  I  have  finished,  by  a  gen- 
tleman who  is  thoroughly  capable  to  give  you  all  the  details  regarding  the  deepen- 
ing of  the  Hudson  River  and  the  work  that  has  been  accomplished  both  by  the 
government  of  the  State  of  New  York  and  the  National  Government.  I  am 
somewhat  disappointed  in  not  seeing  the  State  engineer,  Mr.  Bogart,  or  the  ex- 
State  engineer,  Mr.  Sweet,  here,  but  they  may  come  in  later.  I  feel  it  to  be  a 
duty,  as  a  representative  of  the  State  rather  than  as  a  mere  representative  here  at 
the  present  time  of  the  city  of  Albany,  to  call  your  attention  to  the  fact  that  in 
the  last  two  reports  of  the  State  engineer  consideration  was  given  to  this  vital 
subject.  With  your  kind  permission,  gentlemen,  I  will  read  you  one  section  of 
the  report  of  the  State  engineer  on  canals  for  the  year  1888,  in  which  he  says: 

"Under  the  provisions  of  the  act  to  improve  the  Hudson  River  between  Troy 
and  Coxsackie  a  large  amount  of  work  has  been  done  by  the  superintendent  of 
public  works,  amounting  to  195,414.1  cubic  yards  of  material  dredged  and  re- 
moved from  the  channel  of  the  river.  The  engineering  connected  with  this  work 
has  been  in  charge  of  a  small  corps,  under  the  direction  of  the  State  engineer  and 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


25 


surveyor.  The  report  of  Mr.  Martin  Schenck,  the  assistant  engineer  in  charge, 
gives  the  details  of  this  work.  The  dikes  erected  a  number  of  years  ago  by  the 
United  States  Government  are  in  many  places  in  need  of  immediate  repair.  The 
expenditure  by  the  General  Government  of  a  comparatively  moderate  amount  in 
the  repair  of  these  dikes  would  prevent  the  necessity  for  their  entire  renewal, 
which  will  certainly  otherwise  become  necessary  very  soon,  and  would  also  greatly 
lessen  the  formation  of  the  bars,  on  the  removal  of  which  the  State  annually  has 
to  expend  a  large  amount  of  money." 

In  his  report  for  1889,  which  is  the  last  one  we  have  from  the  printer,  the  State 
engineer  says : 

"  In  the  last  report  of  the  State  engineer,  in  the  report  of  the  assistant  en- 
gineer in  charge  of  the  Hudson  River  work  accompanying  it.  and  also  in  the  re- 
port made  by  the  finance  committee  of  the  senate  on  February  5,  1889,  atten- 
tion has  been  called  to  the  condition  of  the  works  undertaken  years  ago  by  the 
United  States  Government  on  this  river.  These  works  are  in  very  bad  repair; 
they  certainly  should  be  put  in  good  repair,  and  it  would  seem  that,  considering 
the  enormous  commerce  passing  through  this  river,  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment ought  to  prosecute  the  works  requisite  for  the  maintenance  and  improve- 
ment of  its  navigation.  Large  sums  of  money  are  spent  annually  for  the  improve- 
ment of  navigation  On  rivers  in  other  States,  while  on  this  great  channel  of  com- 
munication nothing  worthy  of  mention  has  been  done  for  years.  Unless  Congress 
should  direct  vigorous  action  immediately  it  certainly  will  be  necessary  for  the 
State  of  New  York  to  continue  to  do  more  or  less  work  during  the  next  season  in' 
order  to  insure  free  navigation  in  that  part  of  the  river  bstween  Troy  and  Cox- 
sackie.  which  is  now  liable  to  be  obstructed  by  the  formation  of  bars  in  the  spring. 
Should  the  United  States  Government  inaugurate  measures  for  improvement  of 
the  channel  of  the  river  it  will  be  advisable  that  the  State  should  arrange  for  a 
sufficient  expenditure  to  remove  such  bars  next  spring,  as  there  is  no  probability 
that  the  work  undertaken  for  apermanent  improvement  by  the  General  Govern- 
ment will  then  be  effective." 

Now,  as  I  understand  it,  this  work  has  not  gone  on  but  nevertheless  we  find 
in  the  report  of  the  assistant  State  engineer  that  the  State  of  New  York  has 
contributed  liberally  to  the  improvement  of  the  Hudson  from  the  year  1797.  with 
a  few  exceptions,  up  to  1890,  an  amount  averaging  between  $20. ()()()  and  $30,000 
per  year,  and  the  total  amount  so  contributed  has  been  $1,471,429.20.  As  a  citi- 
zen of  the  State  of  New  York  I  feel  that  New  York  State  has  done  its  share, 
and  a  great  deal  more,  and  that  the  Federal  Government  should  now  step  in. 

As  a  further  evidence  that  the  Hudson  River  is  entitled  to  the  greatest  consid- 
eration from  the  National  Government,  I  will  present  a  brief  statement  furnished 
me  by  Mr.  Bogart,  and  which,  I  believe,  was  sent  to  him  at  his  request  by  the 
Chief  of  Engineers  of  the  U.  S.  Army.  The  statement  is  brief,  is  full  of  meat, 
and  is  very  interesting.  I  will  give  you  the  figures  of  the  amount  of  money 
spent  on  river  improvement  by  the  Federal  Government. 

Mississippi  River,  amount  appropriated  from  date  of  first  ap- 
propriation, July  4,  1836,  to  last  appropriation,  September  19, 
1890  (amount  for  jetties  and  Mississippi  River  Commission 
not  included),  is     $35,  461,  980. 53 

Missouri  River,  amount  appropriated  from  date  of  first  appro- 
priation, August  30,  1852,  to  last  appropriation,  September  19, 
1890,  is     .   5,551,100.00 

Ohio  River,  amount  appropriated  from  date  of  first  appropria- 
tion, March  3,  1827.  to  last  appropriation.  September  19,  1890, 
is    .   4,986,479.25 

Hudson  River,  amount  appropriated  from  date  of  first  appropria- 
tion, June  30,  1834,  to  last  appropriation,  September  19,  1890, 
is       1,516,438.00 

Now,  gentlemen,  observe  the  tonnage  upon  these  rivers  for  the  year  1890.  On 
the  Missouri  River  the  tonnage  was  about  865.493;  on  the  Mississippi  River,  in  all, 
13,000,000;  on  the  Ohio  River,  6,000,000,  and  on  the  Hudson  River,  over  18.500,000. 
In  the  spirit  of  fair  play  and  justice  I  feel  that  the  Hudson  River  is  entitled  to 
the  greatest  amount  of  consideration  on  the  part  of  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment, and  I  also  feel  that  this  excellent  Commission  which  has  the  matter  in 
charge  will  give  the  subject  the  consideration  which  we  as  enthusiastic  citizens 
of  the  State  of  New  York  honestly  and  sincerely  believe  it  is  entitled  to. 

Now,  gentlemen,  I  will  not  take  up  more  of  your  time.  I  did  not  intend  to  say 
quite  so  much,  but  I  felt  that  this  bit  of  inside  information  which  I  had  would 
perhaps  be  of  some  service  to  you  ;  certainly  that  it  would  be  interesting. 


26 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


In  concluding  my  remarks  permit  me  to  say  that  the  mayors  of  many  cities  are 
unable  to  be  present  here  to-day,  but  many  of  them  have  sent  their  regrets,  and 
have  expressed  their  entire  approval  of  this  plan  of  deepening-  the  Hudson.  I 
have  also,  as  mayor  of  this  city,  received  regrets  from  four  or  five  governors  whose 
States  border  or  touch  the  Empire  State,  and  I  am  just  in  receipt  of  a  communi- 
cation from  a  gentleman  who  is  always  interested  in  public  improvements,  the 
chief  executive  of  the  State  of  New  York.  He  says,  under  date  of  January  6, 
1891  : 

My  Dear  Sir  :  I  had  expected  until  this  morning  to  be  able  to  accept  your 
kind  invitation  to  attend  the  public  hearing  at  the  city  hall  to-day  before  the 
commission  of  Army  officers  with  reference  to  the  feasibility  of  deepening  the 
channel  of  the  upper  Hudson  River,  but  I  find  now  that  my  official  duties  during 
the  day  and  my  expected  departure  for  New  York  this  afternoon  will  prevent  my 
attendance.  I  send  this  communication  hurriedly,  merely  to  express  my  interest 
in  the  movement  which  has  been  initiated  for  the  improvement  of  navigation  in 
the  Hudson  River,  and  to  assure  you  of  rny  hearty  cooperation  in  any  feasible 
plans  which  may  be  agreed  upon. 
Very  truly,  yours, 

David  B.  Hill. 

Hon.  James  H.  Manning, 

Mayor's  Office,  Albany,  N,  Y. 

HON.  VREELAND  H.  YOUNGMAN. 
[Representing  the  Albany  Chamber  of  Commerce.] 

Mr.  President  and  Gentlemen  of  the  Convention:  This  matter  of  the  naviga- 
tion of  the  Hudson  River  is  one  that  has  been  of  the  deepest  importance,  not 
only  to  the  citizens  of  the  State  of  New  York,  but  the  merchants,  the  farmers, 
the  mechanics,  and  other  citizens  of  States  far  beyond  us,  north  and  west,  for 
many  years.  Much  has  been  done  to  improve  this  navigation,  going  back  to  the 
early  times  when  vessels  were  navigating  this  river  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
inhabitants  along  its  shores.  The  depth  of  water  was  not  a  matter  of  much  con- 
sideration, because  the  vessels  at  that  time  did  not  need  it.  But  as  freights  be- 
came heavier  and  greater  quantities  of  it  needed  to  be  transported,  it  seemed 
necessary,  from  time  to  time,  that  additional  depth  should  be  given  to  the  waters 
of  the  river.  I  will  read,  in  better  words  than  I  can  put  it  in  myself,  something 
of  an  historical  kind  of  what  has  been  done  toward  deepening  this  channel.  It 
is  taken  from  senate  document  of  this  State  (No.  38,  Febuary  5,  1889),  relative  to 
the  improvement  of  the  Hudson  River,  which  was  prepared  by  some  of  our  ablest 
statesmen. 

"  In  the  annual  report  of  the  State  engineer  for  1886,  Charles  G.  Witbeck,  as- 
sistant engineer  in  charge  of  improvements  in  the  navigation  of  the  Hudson  River, 
comments  as  follows  upon  the  subject: 

"  '  The  deep  water  of  the  Hudson  River  extends  from  Governors  Island  to  about 
midway  between  Stuy vesant  and  New  Baltimore,  from  which  point  northerly  to 
the  State  dam  at  Troy  the  water  is  comparatively  shallow,  and  navigation  has 
always  been  attended  with  more  or  less  difficulty  on  this  part  of  the  river.  The 
problem  of  improving  this  portion  of  the  Hudson  River,  by  reason  of  its  tortuous 
course,  extreme  breadth,  and  the  peculiar  actions  of  its  tides  and  heavy  freshets, 
is  one  that  has  called  forth  the  best  energies  of  both  national  and  State  engineers 
of  the  present  century.  The  importance  of  this  water  way  being  conceded  by 
all  as  being  of  vital  character,  as  it  is  the  outlet  of  the  entire  canal  system  of 
the  State  of  New  York,  which  has  in  the  past  carried  the  greater  portion  of  the 
products,  not  only  of  this  State  but  adjoining  country,  and  in  the  future  will  al- 
ways be  an  important  factor  to  the  welfare  of  this  State. 

"  'The  first  record  of  any  permanent  improvement  contemplated  was  in  1797, 
when  the  depth  of  water  between  the  above-named  points  was  only  4  feet  at  mean 
low  tide,  which  stage  of  water  continued  until  about  1819.  From  1797  to  1863 
the  amount  of  $225,707.25  was  expended  by  the  State  authorities,  for  which  an 
increased  depth  of  3£  feet  was  secured,  making  a  total  depth  at  this  period  of  7£ 
feet  at  mean  low  tide.'  " 

In  sixty-six  years  this  depth  of  water  was  increased  3i  feet  only,  and  then  we 
had  but  Ti  feet  at  mean  low  tide.  So  that  the  statement  of  the  president  of  the 
Commission  that  11  feet  of  water  was  secured  from  New  York  to  Albany  shows 
that  much  has  been  done  for  the  improvement  of  the  navigation  of  tho  Hudson 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


27 


River.  Now,  in  connection  with  that  subject,  I  will  quote  a  few  words  from  the 
committee  itself  as  it  exists  in  the  report : 

"This  link  in  the  chain  of  facilities  for  water  transportation  affords  the  cheap- 
est means  of  forwarding-  property  between  the  West  and  the  East.  Its  uninter- 
rupted navigation,  therefore,  during-  the  season  when  transit  is  unimpeded  by  the 
elements,  becomes  a  matter  of  vital  importance  to  various  interests  and  to  large 
numbers  of  people." 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  use  of  this  word  "  link,"  in  that  sense,  is  very  applica- 
ble. Truly,  as  we  consider  this  subject,  this  Hudson  River  from  Troy  or  Albany 
to  New  York  is  but  a  connecting-  link  to  the  great  Northwest  and  the  ocean. 
Now,  as  I  understand  the  project  that  we  are  considering  to-day,  it  is  to  take  that 
link  out  and  trench  a  clear  way  from  the  ocean  to  the  canal.  Make  it  all  one. 
Give  this  canal  an  opportunity  of  having  vessels  discharge  their  cargoes  at  once 
upon  arrival  here  or  at  Troy  and  then  return,  and  so  increase  the  carrying  capac- 
ity upon  the  canal,  and  in  every  way  give  advantage  to  the  canals  as  a  transport- 
ing medium.  Now,  this  matter  of  water  transportation  is  one  which,  of  course, 
has  been  considered  by  the  greatest  minds  of  our  legislative  bodies.  We  have 
had  reports  upon  it  at  different  times,  and  almost  invariably  those  reports  have 
favored  the  encouragement  of  water  transportation,  so  as  to  reduce  the  cost  of 
carrying  the  products  of  our  farmers  and  mechanics,  and  other  products,  to  the 
destined  points.  In  this  same  document  this  same  committee  has  very  wisely  in- 
cluded some  extracts  from  a  speech  delivered  by  our  present  Secretary  of  the 
Treasury,  Mr.  Windom,  when  in  the  United  States  Senate,  upon  a  measure  then 
being  considered  before  that  body. 

Mr.  Windom  says:  "The  chief  instrumentalities  by  means  of  which  those 
(competitive)  forces  will  exert  their  power  are  the  Mississippi  River  on  the  one 
side,  and  the  northern  water  routes  on  the  other.  *  *  *  Both  routes  consti- 
tute indispensable  parts  of  one  grand  system.  *  *  *  Each  is  needed  to  regu- 
late the  other,  and  both  as  regulators  of  railway  charges.  Each  has  some  ad- 
vantage which  the  other  lacks,  and  some  impediment  which  the  other  has  not ; 
but  on  the  whole,  their  trade  forces  commercial  facilities,  and  economic  capacity 
for  cheap  transportation  will  be  so  evenly  balanced  as  to  insure  a  healthy,  active, 
and  permanent  competition. 

u*  *  *  But  the  competitive  power  and  influence  of  the  two  great  contest- 
ants (the  water  and  railroad  lines)  will  not  be  limited  to  any  one  locality,  but 
will  extend  to  nearly  every  State  in  the  Union." 

Allow  me  to  call  your  special  attention  to  what  follows,  as  it  relates  particu- 
larly to  what  is  before  us : 

"The  wide  sweep  of  competitive  influence  exerted  by  the  Erie  Caryal  is  not 
generally  understood  or  appreciated.  You  would  doubtless  be  surprised,  Mr. 
President,  if  I  told  you  that  the  4  little  ditch 1  which  runs  through  your  State 
holds  in  check  and  regulates  nearly  every  leading  railroad  east  of  the  Missis- 
sippi River,  and  that  it  exerts  a  marked  influence  on  the  cost  of  transportation 
over  all  the  country,  extending  from  the  interior  of  the  Gulf  States  to  the  St. 
Lawrence  River,  and  from  the  great  plains  of  the  eastern  foothills  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean.    And  yet  such  is  the  fact." 

In  this  same  document  the  committee  state  further: 

"  Looking,  therefore,  at  the  beneficial  results  of  the  system  of  water  ways  which 
reach  the  entire  length  of  the  State,  free  to  all  who  choose  to  navigate  them,  and 
of  which  the  Hudson  River  is  a  part,  results  by  no  means  confined  to  the  State 
of  New  York,  but  participated  in,  directly  and  indirectly,  by  the  citizens  of  every 
State  of  the  Union,  and  noting  the  established  policy  of  the  General  Govern- 
ment to  promote  the  interests  of  commerce  upon  all  of  its  lakes  and  rivers,  ap- 
propriating many  millions  of  dollars  annually  for  that  purpose,  there  can  be  no 
good  reason  why  the  Hudson  River  should  not  be  the  recipient  of  Federal  bene- 
factions to  the  full  extent  of  its  needs." 

Can  anything  that  I  can  say  add  to  the  force  of  those  words  given  before  the 
highest  legislative  body  of  the  United  States,  and,  I  think,  of  the  world  ?  I  won't 
attempt  it.  It  seems  as  if  this  was  an  undisputed  fact — that  this  question  of 
water  transportation  is  one  that  we  must  foster  and  encourage.  Not  to  harm  the 
railroads.  I  would  not  say  one  word  in  any  way  to  deteriorate  the  respect  which 
we  all  feel  for  those  men  who  place  their  money  in  railroads,  and  who  manage 
them  so  successfully.  Not  at  all.  It  is  simply  one  other  avenue  of  communica- 
tion. It  is  no  worse  than  two  railroads  running  in  competition.  We  have  in  New 
York  no  less  than  seven.  As  this  country  increases  we  want  more  methods  of 
transportation.  Here  is  a  chance  to  add  to  the  present  facilities  for  trans- 
portation. 


28 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


Another  point  in  this  matter  is  this  :  The  canals  of  this  State  belong  to  the 
State.  They  can  never  enter  into  combination  with  the  railroad  companies. 
They  are  controlled  by  the  State  absolutely.  There  can  be  no  combination.  But 
look  what  we  may  save  to  the  people  who  are  shipping.  The  difference  in  the 
carrying  expense  of  transporting  grain  or  lumber,  or  whatever  products  of  the 
machine  or  hand  we  may  desire  to  ship  to  foreign  lands,  by  transferring  it  at  Al- 
bany or  Troy  rather  than  at  New  York,  would  be  saved,  and  from  what  experi- 
ence I  have  had,  I  believe  that  there  would  be  no  extra  charge  from  Albany  or 
Troy  to  foreign  lands  than  from  New  York  for  the  sake  of  getting  the  cargo  and 
vessels  if  they  were  actually  coming  to  Albany  or  Troy.  I  don't  believe  the 
charge  would  be  one  cent  more  than  it  would  be  from  the  harbor  of  New  York. 
When  we  consider  the  immense  amount  of  transferring  that  is  going  on  in  the 
harbor  of  New  York,  and  the  expense  and  delay  that  is  caused  to  vessels  by  the 
lack  there  of  dock  facilities,  I  believe  that  they  would  much  rather  take  ten  or 
twelve  hours  to  Albany  and  ten  or  twelve  hours  to  return  than  to  put  up  in  the 
harbor  of  New  York. 

Now,  as  to  the  quantity  carried  by  canals  during  the  time  of  canal  navigation. 
Taking  the  report  of  our  superintendent  of  public  works,  I  find  that  from  May 
1  to  December  1,  1889,  the  canal  carried  43.31  per  cent  of  all  the  cereals  that  ar- 
rived in  New  York,  largely  for  export.  I  am  told  by  gentlemen  in  the  business 
in  New  York  that  the  preference  is  for  exporters  to  take  canal  boats  and  their 
cargoes,  and  I  have  not  the  least  doubt  that  if  Albany  and  Troy  were  made  ocean- 
shipping  points,  that  the  whole  of  the  exports  or  at  least  that  of  the  grain  com- 
ing in  from  the  canal  would  be  used  for  export.  So  that  I  think  it  is  safe  to  cal- 
culate that  the  amount  of  grain  that  would,  be  exported  would  be  all  that  came 
through  the  canal.  Doubtless  the  business  would  be  done  by  the  merchants  now 
in  New  York.  It  would  not  change  their  business,  but  the  loading  would  be 
done  here.  The  commission  merchant  would  naturally  want  to  save  every  dollar 
he  can  in  the  transportation  of  that  grain  or  lumber,  or  whatever  it  might  be, 
and  they  would  contract  for  those  boats  to  discharge  here  and  take  on  cargo 
here,  instead  of  at  New  York,  and  save  the  additional  expense.  When  we  come 
to  this  question  of  expense,  it  is  generally  understood  that  any  additional  ex- 
pense in  the  way  of  transportation  generally,  and,  I  suppose,  invariably,  comes 
out  of  the  producer.  Whether  he  be  a  farmer  or  a  lumberman,  whatever  article 
he  produces  is  worth  a  certain  price  at  a  certain  destination.  All  that  can  be 
saved  in  transporting  that  article  to  the  point  of  destination  would  inure  ^o  his 
benefit  at  an  enhanced  value  at  the  point  of  shipment.  So  that  all  that  can  be 
saved  in  the  way  of  transportation  would  inure  to  the  benefit  of  those  who  ship, 
or  the  producer. 

Now,  to  encourage  shipments  by  the  way  of  the  canal,  the  State  of  New  York 
in  1882  made  the  canals  free  of  tolls.  Not  one  cent  has  been  charged  since  then 
for  tolls  for  any  property  carried  through  the  canals.  They  have  been  main- 
tained wholly  at  the  expense  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  that  expense  is  very 
considerable,  amounting  to  nearly  three-fourths  of  a  million  annually.  I  think 
last  year  it  was  seven  hundred  and  odd  thousand  dollars,  but  the  annual  expense 
will  run  about  three-quarters  of  a  million.  The  State  will  be  contributing  to- 
ward this  commerce  about  three-quarters  of  a  million  annually  in  the  improve- 
ment, and  betterment,  and  encouragement  of  the  canal  by  doubling  the  locks.  In 
doing  this  they  propose  to  double  the  capacity  of  the  canal.  The  capacity  is 
limited  principally,  and  I  don't  know  but  wholly,  by  the  amount  of  work  that  can 
be  done  at  the  locks.  No  matter  how  many  boats  may  be  on  the  canal,  only  so 
many  can  pass  through  in  twenty-four  hours.  This  lengthening  of  the  locks,  so 
that'two  boats  may  pass  through,  will  consequently  just  about  double  the  capac- 
ity. This  will  be  completed  within  two  or  three  years ;  sooner  than  this  ship 
canal  can  be  completed. 

This  canal  was  built  by  the  State  of  New  York.  Not  only  this  Erie  Canal,  but 
several  of  the  others  by  the  State,  without  assistance  from  any  other  State,  and 
without  a  dollar  of  assistance  from  the  United  States.  It  was  a  risky  question  as 
to  whether  it  was  a  success  or  not,  but  it  at  once  proved  the  greatest  boon  to 
the  Northwest.  It  opened  up  a  line  of  transportation  where  they  could  raise 
grain,  lumber,  etc.,  and  send  it  to  market;  place  it  in  the  hands  of  the  people 
who  wanted  to  use  it  at  a  comparatively  little  expense.  The  canal  has  been 
finally  enlarged  by  the  State  at  large  expense  and  now  they  are  going  through 
with  this  enlargement  at  great  expense  with  all  of  them. 

The  State  of  New  York  is  deeply  interested  in  this  canal  transportation,  and 
they  appropriate  annually  a  large  sum  of  money  for  maintenance,  and  its  real 
benefit  goes  to  the  people  of  the  West,  who  are  given  free  transportation  to  the 
ocean. 

We  now  ask  that  we  may  have  this  improvement  of  deepening.    Look  at 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


29 


what  the  Canadians  have  been  doing-.  Look  at  what  they  have  done  with 
the  St.  Lawrence  River.  See  how  materially  they  have  improved  it.  Shall 
we  meet  them  in  these  great  works  of  improving  the  means  of  water  communi- 
cation, or  shall  we  lie  still  and  let  them  run  away  with  us  in  this  matter?  The 
St.  Lawrence  River,  years  ago,  was  only  navigable  as  far  as  Quebec  for  any  ves- 
sels requiring  any  depth  of  water,  but  they  have  deepened  that  channel  so  that 
they  can  go  159  miles  farther  up  the  river  to  Montreal.  Their  canal,  of  course,  is 
much  deeper  and  wider  than  ours.  Vessels  that  go  there  draw  10  feet  of  water, 
while  ours  draw  only  6.  But  they  have  increased  their  capacity  for  carrying- 
grain  and  lumber  from  the  Northwest.  There  are  large  amounts  of  lumber  sent 
through  the  Canadian  canals  and  shipped  to  foreign  ports.  To  send  this  through 
by  our  routes  would  increase  the  expense  very  materially,  so  it  goes  through  the 
Canadian  canals;  but  give  us  sufficient  depth  of  water,  and  the  result  in  the  in- 
creased traffic  everywhere  would  be  a  great  benefit  to  all.  When  you  place  in 
the  hands  of  the  people  increased  facilities  for  reaching  markets,  you  add  to  the 
prosperity  of  the  country.  If  we  had  the  Canadian's  facilities  of  transportation,  I 
do  not  think  we  would  harm  them,  but  would  benefit  ourselves  by  adding  to  the 
volume  of  business  done  through  our  canals.  The  St.  Lawrence  River  was  deep- 
ened to  25  feet  years  ago.  and  now  since  it  has  been  completed.  I  think  they  have 
added  2i  feet,  making  it  2~i  feet.  Now,  we  are  not  asking  for  that  depth  at  pres- 
ent, and  we  may  never  ask  it;  but  the  largest  draft  steamers  go  to  Montreal. 
What  we  do  ask  is  that  the  largest  freighting  steamers  may  be  brought  to  our 
port. 

Then  again,  the  question  of  terminal  facilities  in  New  York  is,  I  think,  a  very 
important  matter.  Any  of  us,  wTho  are  familiar  with  New  York  shipping  matters, 
knows  very  well  that  the  terminal  facilities  are  not  sufficient  for  the  present  needs 
of  business.  They  are  not  being  added  to  as  the  business  increases.  There  is 
great  delay,  expense,  and  trouble  at  present  for  facilities  whereby  vessels  may 
be  loaded  or  discharged.  The  room  is  limited,  but  the  needed  additional  room 
is  here,  and  would  be  utilized  if  it  was  found  to  their  advantage;  and  I  feel  quite 
sure  that  I  make  no  mistake  when  I  say  it  would  be  found  to  be  largely  to  their 
advantage.  The  mayor  has  stated  very  clearly  and  very  succinctly  the  appro- 
priations which  had  been  made,  and  I  am  very  glad  that  he  gave  them  to  you.  I 
want  to  emphasize  the  fact,  however,  whichhe  gave  you  in  that  compilation  of 
figures.  It  is,  that  the  Hudson  River,  with  a  tonnage  of  18.500.000,  has  received 
from  the  United  States  Government  $1,516,438  for  the  betterment  of  its  naviga- 
tion, and  that  these  other  rivers,  the  Ohio,  the  Mississippi  and  Missouri,  men- 
tioned by  the  mayor  as  having  but  two-thirds  the  tonnage  of  the  Hudson,  have 
received  $45,999,559.  Now,  the  combined  tonnage  of  these  three  rivers  is  but 
one-third  of  that  of  the  Hudson,  and  yet  they  have  received  thirty-three  times 
as  much  money  for  the  betterment  of  navigation.  I  do  not  mention  this  as  desir- 
ing to  make  any  complaint  or  any  unfavorable  comparison.  Not  at  all.  I  have 
not  the  least  doubt  that  those  appropriations  were  wisely  made,  greatly  needed, 
and  wisely  expended,  but  it  does  seem  as  though  we  were  entitled  to  a  fair  con- 
sideration of  our  needs  and  our  wants  for  a  plan  which  will  enable  us  to  carry 
vessels  of  good  draft  to  our  inland  water  ways.  The  Hudson  River  is  of  so  much 
importance  that  it  should  have  proper  consideration,  and.  although  I  am  glad 
that  what  has  been  done  with  others  has  been  done,  we  simply  ask  that  we  should 
receive  consideration  with  those  others  in  that  we  should  have  the  same  amount 
of  money,  and  we  hope  we  shall  be  given  that  which  we  feel  we  need.  All  the 
money  which  the  United  States  has  appropriated  and  spent  on  this  river  since 
there  has  been  canal  communication,  would  not  have  given  us  canal  communica- 
tion.   It  would  not  have  given  us  6  or  7  feet  of  water. 

Speaking  of  this  as  a  public  matter,  I  do  not  think  it  would  be  in  the  right 
way  of  things  to  bring  in  the  question  whether  private  investments  are  made  in 
the  same  line  as  public  investments.  By  statistics  we  lind  that  about  6.000  miles 
of  railways  are  built  annually — sometimes  more  and  sometimes  less,  but  that  is 
the  average  amount.  This,  of  course,  is  built  with  private  funds.  Well,  you 
may  say  to  me  that  this  is  done  for  the  sake  of  investment  for  making  money. 
We  all  of  us.  particularly  those  who  live  inland,  know  very  well  that  when  a 
railway  is  projected  to  a  far  country  the  towns  and  villages  on  its  line,  and  the 
individuals  belonging  there  will  subscribe  quite  liberally  to  the  stock.  Not 
for  the  sake  of  remuneration  but  to  open  up  the  country,  and  many  do  this 
with  no  idea  for  a  return  other  than  that  it  will  open  communication,  whereby 
the  products  of  their  mills  and  farms  and  factories  will  be  taken  to  a  seaboard 
town,  and  from  there  on  to  some  great  consuming  quarter.  Now  this  money 
is  invested  in  this  way:  and  the  statistics  which  I  glean  from  the  last  annual 
report  of  the  Interstate  Commerce  Commission  show  that  on  June  30,  1889,  the 


30 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


amount  of  railroad  stock  in  this  country  was  $2,621,431,792.  That  is  a  great 
amount.  Now  61.67  per  cent  of  all  that  immense  amount  of  money  was  pay- 
ing- no  dividends  whatever;  and  actually  we  would  say  that  all  that  money 
was  not  put  there  voluntarily  with  the  idea  that  they  would  not  get  any  re- 
turn for  it.  I  do  not  claim  that  for  it.  I  claim  that  is  the  result,  and  men  in 
cities  with  money  know  very  well  that  the  chances  are  about  one  to  one  as  to 
whether  they  do  make  anything  or  not,  but  the  money  is  placed  there  with  a 
view  to  opening-  up  the  country  and  placing  the  different  places  so  opened  up 
in  communication  with  other  places,  and  by  doing  so,  it  is  one  more  link  toward 
making  us  a  community  of  interests. 

Now  what  bearing  has  all  that  in  this  business  here?  A  great  deal.  We 
ought  to  encourage  people  to  invest  their  money  in  this  way.  How?  By  giving 
them  every  facility  in  our  power  for  putting  these  tracks  in  the  ground  to  carry 
these  products,  and  by  bringing  the  seaboard  as  near  the  farmhouse  door  as  pos- 
sible, and  we  do  that  when  we  carry  this  ocean  channel  up  to  the  head  of  navi- 
gation on  the  Hudson  River. 

Then  again,  the  United  States  have  a  very  important  plant  only  16  miles  above 
Albany — the  Watervliet  Arsenal,  a  place  which  will  in  a  very  short  time  become 
a  most  important  point  to  the  Government.  Give  them  a  chance  to  bring  their 
war  vessels  to  this  point.  In  case  of  a  war,  any  one  or  two  nations  might  prob- 
ably blockade  the  lower  end  of  the  Hudson  River.  There  is  no  doubt  but  that, 
at  the  present  time,  they  might  do  so.  Foreign  vessels  would  not  come  away  up 
here,  and  our  vessels  could  receive  stores,  arms,  and  supplies  here.  The  dis- 
tance they  could  come  up  the  river  would  simply  be  a  hiding  place  for  them. 

I  have  kept  you  longer  than  I  have  intended  to  to-day,  because  I  know  that 
many  are  present  who  desire  to  speak,  and  who  can  take  up  this  subject  and 
discuss  it  in  a  much  more  able  manner  than  I  can;  but  we  do  ask  from  yourself 
and  your  colleagues  that,  in  making  your  report,  you  will  consider  the  needs  and 
the  requirements,  as  expressed  to  you,  for  the  deepening  of  this  river,  so  that  in 
the  future,  and  I  trust  in  the  immediate  future,  the  producers  of  the  West  and 
the  Northwest  may  go  direct  by  water  to  the  seaboard  of  New  York  and  other 
points.  Albany  is  interested  in  this,  but  it  has  no  selfish  motive  which  prompts 
it  in  asking  you  to  grant  the  requests  of  the  representative  gentlemen  who  are 
assembled  here  before  you.  The  generous  responses  made  from  all  parts  of  this 
State  and  from  other  States  show  the  deep  interest  that  has  been  awakened 
throughout  the  country.  It  is  a  very  important  matter,  and  it  reaches  to  a  great 
distance.  Albany  comes  in  here  with  its  greeting  to  you  all,  and  with  its  wel- 
come to  all  its  friends  who  are  assembled  here  this  morning,  and  with  the  pledge 
that  if  you  will  join  with  us  in  asking  that  this  work  be  done,  we  will  join  hands 
with  you  and  will  hold  tight  fast,  until  we  have  accomplished  our  object. 

E.  P.  DURANT. 
[Representing  the  Albany  Board  of  Trade.] 

The  Board  of  Engineers  and  Delegates,  I  have  the  honor  to  represent  the 
Board  of  Trade  of  the  city  of  Albany.  This  Board  of  Trade  is.  I  believe,  the 
oldest  organization  of  the  kind  in  the  country,  and  especially  the  oldest  which  ex- 
ists under  a  State  charter.  Perhaps  it  is  that  age  does  not  count  for  anything, 
but  there  is  a  reason  for  alluding  to  it  which  leads  up  to  this  matter  which  is  now 
in  hand.  There  are  men  now  living  in  this  city  who  did  business  as  merchants 
long  before  the  Erie  Canal  was  built — when  the  channel  of  commerce  was  by 
wagon  road,  and  this  wagon  road  with  its  traffic  suggested  the  great  water  way 
which  followed. 

Now,  Mr.  Chairman,  between  the  Alleghanies  and  the  Rocky  Mountains  there 
is  a  body  of  arable  land  the  greatest  in  extent  and  fertility  of  any  on  the  globe, 
and  very  much  of  this  is  tributary,  commercially,  to  the  Great  Lakes,  and  it  is  a 
fact  that  the  only  water  way  that  is  feasible  at  all  from  the  Great  Lakes  to  the 
American  tide  water  is  through  the  State  of  New  York — is  down  this  Erie  Canal 
and  down  this  Hudson  River.  The  mountains  on  the  other  hand  preclude  for- 
ever the  idea  of  a  water  way.  Allusion  has  already  been  made  to  the  vast  influence 
and  the  vast  power  that  this  water  way  has  exerted  in  the  development  of  the 
whole  country.  The  Middle  States,  the  West,  and  the  great  Northwest  could 
never  have  developed  as  they  have  but  for  this  water  way.  If  I  am  rightly  in- 
formed the  commerce  of  the  lakes  exceeds  the  commerce  of  Great  Britain.  The 
tonnage  through  the  Sault  St.  Marys  Canal  exceeds  the  tonnage  of  the  Suez 
Canal,  and  I  think  that  very  few  understand  the  vast  import  of  that  lake  traffic 
and,  as  I  have  already  said,  that  traffic  annually  finds  its  way  to  the  American 
tide  water  through  the  State  of  New  York  and  down  the  Hudson  River. 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


31 


Now,  as  it  is  within  so  short  a  time  that  this  great  work  has  been  done  and  that 
this  channel  has  been  developed,  does  it  not  argue  the  importance  of  this  water 
way '?  Does  it  not  argue  the  interest  for  its  deepening  and  the  development  of 
all  that  is  connected  therewith  ? 

I  do  not  propose  to  traverse  the  ground  that  has  been  so  ably  traversed  by  my 
friend,  Mr.  Youngman,  and  it  belongs  to  others  to  present  statistics  and  reasons 
why  this  work  should  be  undertaken  and  why  it  is  feasible.  I  only  want  to  em- 
phasize one  point  that  was  made  by  Mr.  Youngman.  It  is  with  reference  to 
handling  property  in  the  port  of  New  York  destined  for  foreign  shipment.  Now, 
if  those  restrictions  or  the  additional  expenses  of  transfer  existed  in  the  harbors 
or  the  commercial  cities  of  the  Great  Lakes  it  would,  I  should  almost  say.  ruin 
their  commerce,  or  at  least  greatly  retard  it  and  greatly  diminish  the  progress 
of  development.  Now,  as  you  know,  in  the  cities  of  Chicago,  Milwaukee,  Detroit, 
Cleveland,  and  Buffalo  large  vessels  can  go  alongside  the  warehouses  and  receive 
their  cargoes  direct  and  move  off  with  them  in  a  few  hours  to  their  destination, 
whereas  in  the  harbor  of  New  York  there  is  wharfage  and  storage  and  delay  by 
reason  of  lack  of  dock  facilities  and  all  those  things  which  hinder  commerce.  As 
Mr.  Youngman  has  said,  you  will  bring  the  ocean  vessel  to  Albany,  where  she 
can  receive  her  cargo  direct  in  same  manner  as  the  vessels  receive  their  cargoes 
at  all  of  the  Great  Lake  ports.  The  railways  and  the  docks  and  the  warehouses 
there  are  all  constructed  with  a  view  to  the  accommodation  of  such  vessels.  If 
this  work  is  accomplished  the  ocean  vessel  may  come  to  Albany  and  receive  its 
cargo  direct  from  the  warehouse,  and  by  that  the  expenses  of  transportation 
would  be  vastly  diminished,  and  those  are  the  expenses  which  finally  have  to  be 
distributed  according  to  the  laws  of  commerce,  and  every  interest  feels  it.  This 
work  will  assist  in  the  development  of  the  whole  country,  and  the  farmer,  the 
mechanic,  all  interests — those  who  live  at  the  most  extreme  western  point  will 
share  in  this  development,  and  it  should  meet  with  your  favor.  The  force  of 
circumstances,  the  force  of  the  development  of  commerce  as  induced  by  the  State 
of  New  York  at  the  expense  of  millions  so  as  to  provide  this  great  water  way  call 
for  favorable  action  upon  this  projected  improvement.  I  say  that  the  interests 
for  the  development  of  the  country  have  forced  this  matter  upon  the  State  of 
New  York,  and  the  State  of  New  York  has  not  been  still  but  has  taken  up  the 
burden  and  has  borne  it,  and  now  it  seems  to  me  that  it  is  time  for  the  United 
States  Government  to  weigh  all  these  considerations,  and  make  a  great  effort  to 
develop  this  great  water  way  upon  which  the  prosperity  of  the  whole  country, 
especially  of  the  West  and  the  great  Northwest,  depends. 


9  HON  MARTIN  I.  TOWNSEND. 

[Representing  the  Troy  Citizens'  Association.! 

Gentlemen  of  the  Corps  of  United  States  Engineers,  so  much  has  been  said 
this  morning,  and  so  much  has  been  well  said,  that  I  am  very  much  at  a  loss  as 
as  to  where  to  begin  in  the  remarks  that  I  am  to  make  and  in  the  track  which 
I  am  to  pursue.  But  there  is  one  branch  of  discussion  which  it  is  important 
that  I  should  not  neglect,  and  that  is  the  shape  of  this  law  authorizing  this 
survey.  The  conclusion  is  that  by  it  the  little  Hudson  River  is  very  much  like 
a  snake  with  his  back  broke  in  the  middle.  There  is  a  breaking  of  the  back  at 
Albany,  and  therefore,  while  we  are  all  friends  and  pursuing  the  same  object — 
no  rivalry  about  it — yet  it  is  meet  that  we  should  consider  whether  there  will  be 
any  use  of  extending  this  work  beyond  Albany.  And  about  that  I  propose  at 
first  to  direct  my  attention. 

I  have  consulted  a  few  statistics  from  the  report  of  our  superintendent  of  pub- 
lic works,  and  those  statistics  I  deem  to  be  of  very  great  importance,  and  I  beg 
leave  to  hand  up  to  the  committee  a  small  pamphlet  on  the  subject.  It  is  not 
original  with  me.  They  are  taken  from  the  report  of  the  superintendent  of  pub- 
lic works  for  the  year  1889,  and  I  present  it  for  the  purpose  of  showing  that  there 
is  a  vast  amount  of  business  done  on  the  Hudson  River  in  connection  with  the 
northern  and  western  canals,  above  the  city  of  Albany. 

In  the  first  place,  we  have  directed  our  attention  very  strongly  to  the  Erie 
Canal.    But  there  is  another  canal  that  it  is  necessary  to  consider. 

The  tonnage  in  1889  upon  the  Erie  Canal  was  3,673,554  tons.  Upon  the  Cham- 
plain  Canal  the  tonnrge  was  1,187,038  tons.  So  that  here  is  a  very  large  business 
indeed  done  upon  the  northern  canal  and  passing  this  point.  Now,  realize  the 
business  that  this  northern  canal  has  brought  into  the  Hudson  River.  If  you  will 
have  the  kindness  to  look  below  you  will  find  that  the  number  of  tons  carried  on 
the  northern  canal  (at  page  236  of  the  Report  of  the  Superintendent  of  Public 


32 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


Works  in  1889)  to  be  9,928  tons:  from  West  Troy.  6  miles  above  here,  171,220 
tons;  from  Waterford.  502.229  tons;  from  Whitehall,  503,661  tons.  For  this  pur- 
pose, I  suppose  that  the  tonnage  at  Whitehall  need  not  be  considered,  but  it  will 
be  seen  that  there  is  about  700,000  tons  from  the  northern  canal  that  comes  in  at 
West  Troy  and  at  Waterford.  Now  Waterford  is  9  miles  above  here  and  West 
Troy  6,  and  the  whole  tonnage  almost  of  the  northern  canal,  all.  I  believe,  except 
its  lumber,  which  is  taken  very  largely  at  Albany,  goes  into  the  Hudson  River 
at  Waterford,  and  the  State  in  its  early  works  erected  there  what  is  called  the 
State  dam  for  the  purpose  of  raising  water  enough  above  that  dam  to  enable  the 
boats  from  the  Champlain  Canal  to  come  to  Waterford.  We  have  a  State  lock 
which  secures  those  boats  there.  This  shows  the  importance  of  the  northern 
canal,  which  carries  1,187,000  tons.  It  shows  the  importance  of  that  canal  by  the 
extension  by  the  State  of  this  navigation  up  to  the  State  dam. 

Now,  in  regard  to  the  western  canal.  The  tonnage  carried  east  and  west  on 
the  Erie  Canal  in  1889  was,  from  Albany,  182,819  tons,  and  from  West  Troy.  728,- 
173;  about  four  times  as  much.  The  property  which  was  left  at  tide  water  from 
canals  was,  from  Albany,  1,022,901  tons;  from  West  Troy,  1,618,756  tons;  from 
Waterford,  137,772  tons — carried  clear  through  from  Waterford  for  way  purposes. 
So  that  the  business  above  here  as  done  by  the  canals  here  is,  you  see,  vastly  in  ex- 
cess— certainly  four  times — above  Albany,  than  at  Albany.  I  might  say  with 
great  propriety  that  a  considerable  proportion  of  this  work  is  done  by  Albany 
men  and  Albany  shippers  at  West  Troy,  but  there  is  the  place  from  which  these 
canal  boats  have  got  to  be  carried  on  the  Hudson  River  when  you  go  into  that 
river.  It  was  well  said— the  quotation  by  Mr.  Youngman  was  of  great  impor- 
tance— that  of  what  the  Erie  Canal  in  1889  carried  to  the  State  of  New  York,  the 
corn,  wheat,  oats,  peas,  and  barley,  47.13  per  cent  of  it  arrived  at  your  city. 

Now  I  propose  to  look  for  a  moment  at  that  western  country.  The  western 
country  north  of  the  Ohio  is  a  grain-producing  country,  and  the  State  of  Kentucky 
is  largely  in  the  same  condition.  Missouri  is  a  grain-producing  country,  and  so 
with  Kansas  and  the  whole  country  to  the  north.  The  grain  from  all  these  States 
don't  go  South,  with  the  exception  perhaps  of  a  minute  quantity  of  corn  for  con- 
sumption of  farmers,  or  planters,  as  they  are  called  at  the  South.  The  grain  is 
either  consumed  at  home,  or  seeks  the  great  ocean  through  the  Northern  States, 
and  some  through  the  Middle  States,  but  it  does  not  go  South,  and  the  building 
of  railroads  has  prevented  the  general  commerce  of  the  Northwest  from  going 
down  the  Mississippi  to  anything  like  the  extent  it  formerly  went.  Indeed  the 
Mississippi  is,  as  the  newspapers  here  are  fond  of  saying,  almost  "a  back  num- 
ber," so  far  as  commerce  is  concerned.  The  tonnage  of  the  Mississippi  is  not  two- 
thirds  of  the  tonnage  of  the  Hudson  River  alone,  and  it  is  because  the  facilities 
for  moving  the  products  north  of  the  Ohio  River  and  north  of  the  south  border 
of  the  Missouri  River  have  been  increased  until  they  are  so  great  that  nobody 
thinks  of  carrying  them  around  by  way  of  New  Orleans.  With  the  exception  of 
the  productions  of  the  West  Indies,  St.  Louis  now  almost  wholly  depends  upon 
her  communications  from  the  East.  Every  year  there  is  less  and  less  done  on  the 
Mississippi,  and  the  Mississippi  steamboats  that  were  so  numerous,  and  their 
whistles  which  were  so  often  heard,  are  now  things  of  the  past.  I  say  this  in  no 
disparagement  of  the  Mississippi.  In  the  late  struggle  for  the  common  union  of 
the  whole  country  we  got  the  Mississippi  into  the  Union,  and  there  we  will  have 
it,  but  I  speak  of  it  now  in  comparison  with  our  own  river — the  Hudson.  Now, 
that  river  has  had  about  thirty  times  the  appropriations  for  its  improvemen  t  that 
this  Hudson  River  has  had.  Not  that  those  appropriations  were  not  useful.  God 
speed  the  appropriations,  and  if  the  Commission  which  represents  the  whole 
United  States  here  will  allow  me  to  say  a  word,  I  will  say  that  I  have  sat  and 
heard  discussions  about  the  Mississippi  River  in  the  National  Congress  for  about 
four  years,  and  I  thought  there  was  more  propriety  in  benefiting  their  farmers 
than  their  commerce.  Every  bayou  has  to  be  Headed  off.  The  Mississippi  has 
to  be  banked  up  and  levees  made  all  the  way,  and  for  what?  But  we  are  one 
people.  Let  them  give  us  our  share  and  they  may  have  theirs.  The  West  has 
waked  up  in  regard  to  this  matter.  I  went  before  the  Committee  on  Rivers  and 
Harbors  in  the  last  year,  and  I  found  as  ready  a  body  of  men,  with  as  ready  lips 
in  the  good  cause,  especially  those  who  lived  north  of  the  Ohio  and  the  southern 
border  of  the  Missouri,  as  we  could  have  found  in  the  State  of  New  York.  And 
it  is  a  great  world — the  world  that  is  inhabited  by  the  men  whose  products  are 
carried  through  the  State  of  New  York  to  other  homes.  And  it  is  a  world  of  our 
people  to  a  great  degree.  They  went  from  here.  Don't  be  afraid  of  the  recom- 
mendation with  a  view  that  Congress  will  frown  upon  it. .  They  went  from  here, 
and  they  sympathize  with  us.    They  sympathize  with  the  men  who.  when  the 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


33 


country  was  poor,  constructed  the  Erie  Canal — to-day  the  honor  and  pride  of  the 
country.  The  man  who  lives  in  the  State  of  New  York  has  the  right  to  step  an 
inch  higher.  Here  is  the  State  that  furnishes  an  avenue  of  commerce  for  the 
Northwest  and  West  with  the  great  outside  world  such  as  has  not  been  done  by 
any  other  people  in  this  country.  The  canals  of  Pennsylvania  and  some  other 
States  have  been  a  failure,  but  our  canal  here  is  one  of  the  great  water  ways  of 
the  world,  worth  a  hundredfold  what  the  Dardanelles  and  the  Bosphorusare,  and 
if  we  go  in  the  proper  spirit  to  the  National  Congress,  they  will  not  say  us  nay. 

Now,  I  have  said  a  little  about  my  own  neighborhood  up  the  river.  Albany 
claims  103,000  people,  and  she  has  got  it,  and  I  hope  she  will  have  as  many  more. 
God  bless  her  in  her  prosperity  and  keep  her  from  adversity.  We  claim  that 
clustered  about  Troy,  and  at  Troy  and  within  the  roads  four  or  five  miles  east 
and  west,  we  are  over  125,000  people,  not  to  count  in  West  Troy  nor  Green  Island 
nor  Cohoes  nor  other  places  up  there  where  there  are  so  many  factories.  They 
live  on  and  eat  iron,  largely,  up  there. 

Mr.  Tefft.  The  brass  is  in  Waterford. 

Mr.  Townsend.  My  friend  is  mistaken.  The  brass  is  to  be  found  elsewhere. 
All  these  places,  however,  are  prosperous,  and  adding  to  the  happiness  of  the 
whole  people.  Not  that  we  are  trying  to  run  Albany.  She  has  to  take  up  apart 
of  our  own  count  to  make  up  her  population.  Grecnbush  is  part  of  Albany's 
estimate,  and  she  is  entitled  to  it,  for  they  work  here.  If  Albany  prospers  they 
prosper.  We  will  all  prosper  together  if  this  enlargement  of  the  river  is  carried, 
to  the  State  dam,  where  it  should  come  if  it  is  undertaken,  and  where  I  think  it 
will  have  to  come,  or  it  will  stop  in  the  National  Congress.  We  have  got  a  Ver- 
mont up  there,  and  we  have  a  New  Hampshire  up  there  in  certain  regions.  If  that 
be  done,  Albany  is  benefited,  we  are  benefited,  the  nation  is  benefited,  the  world 
is  benefited,  and  we  are  all  happy. 

Just  one  word  to  the  commissioners : 

If  the  Government  should  undertake  to  legislate  for  the  improvement  of  this 
river,  there  will  have  to  be  some  laws  which  we  do  not  now  possess  for  the  pres- 
ervation of  the  work  that  is  to  be  done.  Having  held  the  position  of  United  States 
attorney  for  this  district  for  about  seven  years,  I  found  that  the  Government  was 
practically  powerless  to  preserve  the  works  placed  in  the  river.  There  should 
be  some  legislation  to  this  effect,  and  I  suggest  it,  as  it  may  be  desirable  to  recom- 
mend it. 

F.  H.  HOLBROOK. 
[Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Trade  of  Muskegon,  Mich.] 

Gentlemen  of^the  Board,  under  a  resolution  of  Congress  the  Secretary  of  War 
has  appointed  aboard  of  three  United  States  engineers  whose  specific  duties  are: 

First.  To  determine  and  report  a  plan,  and  estimate  the  cost  for  the  deepening 
of  the  Hudson  River  from  Coxsackie  to  Troy  (a  distance  of  about  30  miles),  so  as 
to  admit  the  passage  of  vessels  of  3,000  tons  burden. 

Second.  To  report  a  statement  as  to  the  usefulness  of  such  improvements  and 
of  the  relation  and  value  to  commerce. 

In  the  line  of  the  performance  of  the  second  duty,  namely,  as  to  the  usefulness 
of  such  improvements  and  of  their  relative  value  to  commerce,  an  expression  is 
invited  from  the  various  commercial  interests  of  the  country.  To  receive  such 
expressions  the  board  is  now  met. 

If  the  late  statistics  of  this  country  are  given  the  proper  consideration,  no 
trouble  will  be  had  in  arriving  at  a  proper  conclusion  that  the  projected  improve- 
ment is  a  step  in  the  right  direction. 

To  understand  the  far-reaching  effect  of  this  contemplated  improvement,  it  is 
necessary  to  understand  the  commercial  battle-ground  of  the  nation. 

Of  the  five  great  natural  divisions  of  the  country,  three,  namely,  the  Atlantic, 
Great  Lakes,  and  Mississippi  drainage  basins,  transact  nearly  nine-tenths  of  all 
the  business  of  the  United  States.  These  three  are  located  as  follows:  The  At- 
lantic basin  on  the  east,  the  Great  Lakes  basin  in  the  center,  and  the  Mississippi 
basin  on  the  west.  At  the  bottom  of  each  of  these  basins  (so  to  speak),  or  at  the 
lowest  water  level  of  each,  is  found  a  constellation  of  cities,  which  are  the  dis- 
tributing centers  for  their  respective  basins.  The  bulk  of  the  tonnage  of  the 
country  moves  in  an  east  and  west  direction.  These  three  great  commercial  dis- 
tricts are  joined  together,  east  and  west,  in  two  ways,  namely,  by  railroads,  and 
by  water  ways.  The  system  of  railways  is  the  greatest  of  any  in  existence  in  the 
world.  The  system  of  water  ways  is  grand,  so  far  as  nature's  work  is  concerned, 
for  it  has  given  to  each  basin  a  system  natural  to  itself,  but  practically  uncon- 
II.  Ex.  29  3(5 


34 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


nected  with  the  others.  To  supply  these  connections,  these  mining  links,  man 
steps  in  and  builds  canals  or  artificial  water  ways.  The  Erie  on  the  east  .- con- 
necting- the  Great  Lakes  and  Atlantic  basins;  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal, 
and  others  of  similar  character,  on  the  west,  connecting  the  Great  Lakes  and 
Mississippi  basins. 

It  will  be  seen  clearly,  then,  that  the  only  great  east-and-west  waterways  in 
the  United  States  are  in  two  parts — natural  and  artificial.  The  artificial  part  is 
under  State  control,  and  it  is  not  urged  or  claimed  that  its  improvements  should 
be  a  Federal  charge.  The  natural  water  ways  of  these  three  great  drainage  ba- 
sins, of  which  the  Hudson  River  is  a  part,  are  under  the  Federal  control,  and  its 
improvement  is  properly  the  duty  of,  and  should  be  at  the  cost  of,  the  General 
Goverment. 

When  the  volume  of  tonnage  moving  and  its  trend  is  considered;  when  it  is 
seen  that  these  artificial  links,  joining  the  three  waterways,  are  the  only  check 
upon  the  railway  systems,  then  their  importance  becomes  more  apparent,  and 
any  improvement  to  bring  these  three  water  ways  more  closely  together  and 
shorten  or  improve,  so  as  to  render  the  artificial  links  more  effective,  is  a  matter 
of  national  importance. 

We  are  a  nation  of  sixty-two  million  people,  and  we  pay  to  the  railways  for  trans- 
portation over  $1,000,000,000  annually.  This  is  $10  each  for  every  man.  woman, 
and  child,  or  $80  for  each  head  of  a  family  of  five  persons.  It  is  a  disbursement 
nearly  equivalent  to  paying  off  the  national  debt  each  year.  A  small  percentage 
of  this  yearly  tax  upon  the  productions  of  the  country  applied  to  the  water  ways 
would  afford  a  vast  relief,  for  we  have  it  from  the  best  authority  in  the  country 
on  transportation — Poor's  Manual — ''that  products  can  always  be  carried  by 
water  at  about  one-third  the  cost  by  rail." 

If  a  sum  equivalent  to  sixty  days'  receipts  of  the  railways  was  expended  in 
making  proper  connections  between  these  three  great  water  ways,  it  would 
afford  a  yearly  saving  to  the  people  of  many  times  the  cost. 

That  there  is  serious  need  of  improvement  of  the  water  ways  requires  no  better 
proof  than  can  be  found  in  a  contemplation  of  the  condition  which  the  lack  of 
them  has  helped  largely  to  bring  about.  The  great  grain-raising  portion  of  the 
United  States  is  the  Mississippi  Valley  or  Basin.  If  we  are  to  judge  of  the  pros- 
perity in  this  industry  by  the  Government  tables,  a  dissection  of  those  tables  is 
in  order,  and  will  show  a  condition  far  from  inviting.  In  1880  the  total  cereal 
crop  was,  2,718,193,501  bushels;  average  since  1880,  2,759.337,073  bushels.  Num- 
ber of  acres  tilled  in  1880,  120,926,280;  average  since  1880.  133.738.585.  Value 
of  all  cereals  in  1880,  $1,361,497,704:  value  of  average  since  1880,  $1,288,453,248. 

It  appears  from  these  tables  that  the  farmer  tills  12,812,299  more  acres,  raises 
on  the  average  41,143,572  more  bushels,  and  has  received  on  the  average  for  his 
toil  $73,044,456  less  money  than  he  did  in  1880,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  there 
are  twelve  million  more  people  in  the  United  States  to  be  fed. 

This  condition  is  due  to  several  causes,  one  of  the  principal  ones  being  a  lack 
of  proper  transportation  facilities.  This  class  would  receive  a  better  share  of 
the  fruits  of  their  toil  if  the  Hudson  River  and  the  Erie  Canal  were  improved  on 
the  east  by  the  Government  and  the  State,  respectively,  and  the  great  system  of 
water  ways  of  the  Mississippi  Basin  was  connected  properly  with  the  Great  Lakes 
on  the  west,  as  the  latter  improvement  would,  in  effect,  change  the  great  north- 
and-south  river  water  way  (which  is  comparatively  useless  now  in  transporting 
products  bound  east  and  west)  into  an  east-and-west  water  way,  making  a  large 
portion  of  it,  at  least,  in  accord  with  the  principal  movement  of  tonnage. 

'Tis  true  that  the  farmer  class  have  now  an  abundance  of  railway  facilities.  In 
fact,  where  he  had  1  mile  in  1880,  he  has  nearly  2  miles  in  1890,  the  mileage  in 
the  two  periods  being  93,000  and  167,000,  respectively,  in  the  whole  country .  His 
average  cereal  crop  has  increased  less  than  2  per  cent  in  a  decade,  while  his 
railway  facilities  have  increased  about  80  per  cent  in  the  same  period ;  for  it  is 
safe  to  say  that  in  the  general  increase  in  mileage  throughout  the  country  his 
district  has  not  lagged ;  on  the  contrary,  the  iridescent  dream  of  wonderful  in- 
crease in  crops  has  been  a  potent  factor  in  floating  bonds  for  increased  facilities 
in  his  district,  and  since  farms  and  outlying  property  bear  peculiar  relation-  to 
railways,"  he  finds  that  his  products,  with  no  considerable  increase  in  volume, 
must  pay  the  fixed  charges  on  2  miles  of  road  where  formerly  they  paid  on  one  — 
for  what  but  the  productions  of  the  country  must  pay  these  charges,  if  They  are  paid 
at  all?  If  he  looks  with  expectancy  to  increase  of  population  to  help  him  out, 
he  meets  these  figures:  50,000,000  population  in  1880  to  93,000  miles  of  railway, 
or  537  to  1  mile;  62,500,000  population  in  1S90  to  107.<>oo  miles  of  railway,  or  375 
to  1  mile.    In  other  words,  he  finds  that  there  are  162  less  people  to  support  a 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


35 


mile  of  railway  in  1890  than  there  were  in  1880.  He  evidently  has  need  of  more 
water  in  the  canals  and  rivers  or  less  in  railway  stocks,  or  both. 

We  have  endeavored  to  show  the  situation  with  respect  to  a  large  percentage 
of  those  who  till  over  13^,000.000  acres  of  soil,  a  class  who  represent  by  the  Fed- 
eral census  of  1880  over  7,000.000  out  of  a  total  of  17.000,000  workers  who  earn 
their  bread  in  the  sweat  of  their  faces.  The  same  condition  obtains  with  respect 
to  other  industries,  fhough  in  less  degree,  as  they  are  more  accessible  to  water 
ways. 

In  considering  this  question,  it  is  well  to  weigh  the  following  facts:  That  the  en- 
tire exports  and  imports  of  the  country,  considered  on  a  standard  of  their  money 
value,  amount  to  less  than  $1,800,000,000  per  annum,  while  the  yearly  products 
of  the  interior  amount  to  live  times  that  sum,  and  are  principally  moved  in  one 
direction  or  another  within  the  limits  of  the  three  great  districts  named.  That 
since  the  removal  of  tolls  from  the  Erie  Canal  in  1882  the  district  along  the 
great  east-and-west  water  way  has  shown  a  remarkable  development.  An  index 
of  this  fact  is  seen  in  the  steam-vessel  building.  In  1888  it  was,  by  the  Govern- 
ment reports.  68,208  tons  on  the  Great  Lakes  as  against  19,572  tons  on  the  Atlan- 
tic and  Gulf  coasts  combined. 

The  new  census  for  1890  shows  that  about  40  per  cent  of  the  gain  in  population 
occurs  in  the  eight  States  lying  along  the  Great  Lakes,  and  a  late  census  bulle- 
tin shows  that  over  96  per  cent  of  all  the  steel  output  for  1890  occurred  in  six  of 
these,  and  that  this  96  per  cent  exceeded  in  volume  the  output  of  Great  Britain 
for  1889  by  nearly  100.000  tons  and  our  own  output  for  1880  by  290  per  cent. 

A  statement  of  these  facts  carries  with  it  a  suggestion  that  there  is  no  impro- 
priety in  the  Government  lending  its  aid  to  any  part  of  a  system  which  makes 
such  a  meritorious  showing. 

In  conclusion:  We  have  made  our  argument  on  the  waterways,  considering 
them  only  in  the  light  of  an  entirety.  If  we  have  shown  the  necessity  of  their 
improvement  as  a  whole,  the  necessity  of  this  particular  improvement  under 
consideration  must  be  apparent,  as  it  is  a  part  of  that  whole.  It  is  an  improve- 
ment that  should  receive  encouragement  from  every  part  of  the  land,  as  it  will 
lead  to  greater  prosperity,  and  under  the  showing  is  it  not  clearly  the  duty  of 
the  Government  to  lend  its  aid  in  lightening  the  burdens  of  the  people? 

COL.  C.  L.  Mo  ARTHUR.  >• 
[Representing  the  Troy  Citizens'  Association,"! 

Mr.  Chairman  ^nd  gentlemen  of  this  body,  I  did  not  come  here  to-day  loaded 
with  statistics  or  anything  of  that  sort  to  urge  the  necessity  of  the  improve- 
ment for  which  you  have  met  here  for  the  purpose  of  promoting.  Whatever  I 
say  I  shall  say  from  the  shoulder,  as  they  fire  in  the  Army,  and  say  it  as  thoughts 
come  to  me. 

This  idea  of  the  improvement  of  the  Hudson  River  does  not  owe  its  origin  to 
the  city  of  Troy.  It  does  not  owe  its  origin  to  the  city  of  Albany.  It  does  not 
owe  its  origin  to  the  great  West.  The  National  Government,  as  long  ago  as  1797, 
adopted  and  took  action  in  Congress  looking  to  the  promotion  of  navigation  on 
the  Hudson  River  and  of  slackwater  navigation  up  to  the  Champlain  Canal, 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  before  the  State  of  New  York  had  a  single  canal. 
They  did  that  for  defensive  purposes,  and  if  you  will  look  for  an  instant  at  the 
history  of  the  country  you  will  see  that  in  all  the  great  wars  which  we  have  had, 
except  the  last  war  and"  the  war  with  Mexico,  that  it  was  on  our  northern  border 
here  and  which  was  menaced  by  invasion,  and  the  great  problem  of  Government 
was  to  protect  our  frontiers :  and  while  1  do  not  desire  to  commit  this  body  or 
these  gentlemen  to  my  own  thoughts  in  this  matter,  yet  as  we  are  here  to  discuss 
this  I  think  it  ought  to  be  discussed  in  its  length  and  breadth. 

The  National  Government  undertook  this  thing  for  defensive  purposes.  You 
wrill  remember  that  the  great  battles  were  on  this  frontier.  You  will  remember 
that  the  backbone  of  the  Revolution  was  broken  at  Saratoga,  at  Bennington,  at 
White  Plains,  at  Ticonderoga,  and  at  other  points  on  our  northern  frontier  bat- 
tles were  fought,  and  that  the  objective  point  was  the  city  of  Albany. 

Now,  sir,  whatever  may  be  true  of  this  work  as  a  commercial  project,  I  leave 
for  others  to  discuss  :  but  this  question  has  a  wider  and  broader  sense  than  any 
commercial  one.  The  main  and  ultimate  end  of  this  thing  is  to  make  a  water 
way  from  the  Hudson  River  to  the  great  chain  of  lakes — that  chain  of  takes 
larger  than  the  Mediterranean  and  the  other  seas,  and,  as  has  been  well  said  here, 
the  great  wheat  and  grain  and  beef  and  produce  producing  regions  of  the  coun- 


36 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


try.  The  first  want  of  man  is  to  take  care  about  his  food,  and  these  people  are 
furnishing-  food  not  only  for  themselves,  but  they  are  furnishing  food  to  the  ex- 
tent that  commerce  and  the  laws  of  trade  will  permit.  They  are  furnishing-  food 
for  the  world,  and  it  is  through  our  connections  with  the  great  chain  of  lakes 
that  this  thing  is  to  be  done.  The  State  of  New  York  is  proud  to  be  in  advance 
of  the  General  Government  in  all  works  of  this  character.  Why,  we  spent  in 
the  single  year  1889  within  a  fraction  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  as  much 
for  the  canal  system  of  this  State  of  New  York  as  the  whole  United  States  in  all 
its  existence  has  put  upon  the  Hudson  River.  And  .but  a  small  proportion  of  this 
was  for  the  benefit  directly  of  the  people  of  the  State  of  New  York.  It  was  to 
more  extent  for  the  arms  of  the  sea  and  the  water  ways  to  that  great  and  fertile 
West,  so  that  produce  might  be  cheapened,  and  that  rail  roads  might  be  checked 
in  their  exorbitant  demands;  that  we  should  bring  cheaper  food  to  the  mouths 
of  the  people  of  the  eastern  side  of  the  continent,  and  from  there  across  the 
waters.  I  think  this  should  be  preached  as  in  the  nature  of  a  defensive  measure 
of  the  country.  Sir,  the  existence  of  the  honored  branch  of  the  National  Gov- 
ernment to  which  you  belong  means  the  defense  of  the  Government  and  the 
country  in  its  hour  of  peril.  When  you  come  to  look  at  what  Great  Britain  and 
Canada  have  done  in  this  matter,  it  is  astounding  that  this  Government  has  not 
waked  up  to  the  necessity  of  protecting  our  western  as  well  as  our  eastern  bor- 
ders. Why,  sir,  the  Canadian  and  British  Government  have  expended  on  her 
water  ways,  and  largely  with  a  view  to  defensive  purposes,  $200,000,000.  They 
have  deepened  the  Welland  Canal  to  the  depth  of  14  feet,  and  it  is  the  policy  of 
the  British  Government  to-day  to  protect  and  aid  her  shipping,  and  to  build 
that  class  of  steam  vessels  of  such  burden  that  they  may  be  employed  in  com- 
merce in  the  Canadian  and  other  canals  of  the  country,  and  be  converted  speedily 
into  cruisers  when  the  time  for  defensive  operations  comes.  The  British  Gov- 
ernment in  its  navy  have  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  ships  of  good  size  that 
may  be  taken  through  this  Welland  Canal,  and  which  might  devastate  every 
State  that  borders  this  great  chain  of  lakes  before  it  would  be  possible  for  the 
National  Government  to  come  in  and  protect  them. 

Now,  this  may  be  extravagant,  but  you  may  remember  that  from  here  north 
are  her  possessions;  that  she  owns  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  You  may 
remember  that  she  has  on  the  Pacific  Ocean  a  vast  fleet  of  commercial  ships. 
You  may  remember  that  she  has  in  India  millions  of  as  good  troops  as  ever  faced 
an  enemy  in  the  field  of  battle.  And  you  may  remember  that  vast  area  of  ship- 
ping that  she  can  plant  in  six  weeks  on  the  western  shores  of  this  continent  ,  and 
that  in  her  own  possessions  she  could  plant  at  least  one  hundred  ships  to  defend 
her  Welland  Canal.  With  her  fourteen  feet  of  water  and  her  possession  of  the 
mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  through  the  Welland  Canal  to  the  great  chain  of 
lakes,  she  might  devastate  every  city  on  those  lakes  before  it  could  be  possible, 
with  our  weak  means  of  defense,  to  stop  it. 

Nations,  like  men,  do  not  live  altogether  for  their  own  time.  They  live  for 
the  generations  that  are  to  come.  Sir.  this  nation  is  yet  in  its  infancy.  It  is  to 
go  on,  I  believe,  in  the  glory  and  providence  of  God,  until  it  is  one  of  the  most 
wonderful  nations,  as  it  is  to-day.  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  the  time  shall 
come  when  this  National  Government  shall  have  her  Army  and  her  Navy  that 
shall  be  as  great  in  her  defensive  as  well  as  her  commercial  glory,  until  she  is 
irresistible. 

Now,  while  all  this  may  not  be  germane  to  this  matter  now  before  us,  I  do  in- 
sist that  the  National  Government  has  a  material  interest  in  this  thing.  She 
has  planted  in  the  region  of  Troy  a  national  arsenal  and  gun  factory.  She  has 
planted  a  gun  foundry  there  which  is  to  furnish  the  guns  for  the  Army,  while 
the  other  branch  of  the  service  is  provided  for  by  a  national  foundry  at  Wash- 
ington. In  doing  this  the  National  Government  very  likely  had  the  thought  of 
protecting  these  plants  when  they  take  care  of  the  improvements  of  it>  rivers. 
The  Watervliet  Arsenal  alone  has  rendered  such  incalculable  service  to  the 
country  that  it  is  worth  ten  times  more  to  it  than  it  would  cost  to  make  this  con- 
templated improvement  of  the  Hudson  River.  That  arsenal  is  planted  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Hudson  River,  on  the  opposite  side  of  Troy,  and  it  is  of  the  Hist 
importance  that  the  country  itself  should  have  the  means  of  communicating  with 
it  by  large  ships  for  the  purpose  of  taking  away  to  the  forts  on  the  Atlantic  coast 
and  to  other  quarters  the  material  which  is  there  produced  for  the  defense  of 
the  United  States.  You  may  not  know,  sir,  that  in  one  single  discovery  at  this 
arsenal  here  the  small  arms  of  the  whole  world  were  revolutionized,  because  it 
was  there  that  the  percussion  cap,  which  served  so  very  well  through  a  series  of 
wars,  was  invented.  During  the  time  of  the  Mexican  war  that  arsenal  furnished 
vast  supplies  for  that  struggle.    During  our  last  war  with  the  South  it  is  incal- 


HUDSON  RIYER. 


37 


culable  the  amount  of  material  and  war  material  that  was  produced  for  the  Na- 
tional Government.  Now,  sir,  this  National  Government  can  not  Jump  in  a 
minute  into  the  giant  proportions  which  it  is  to  assume  as  a  defensive  force  in  the 
future.  It  must  go  step  by  step,  and  it  is  one  of  the  things  which  the  Govern- 
ment must  come  to  consider,  whether  in  the  ultimate  future — it  may  be  twenty-five 
or  fifty  years — the  waterways  of  the  Hudson  River  must  not  be  extended  for  ves- 
sels of  war  to  connect  with  the  great  chain  of  lakes.  The  Government  itself  lias  al- 
ready entered  upon  this  work  of  connecting  the  Mississippi  with  the  chain  of 
lakes  through  its  appropriations  already  made,  and  the  work  is  now  in  progress. 
But  now  we  are  simply  confronted  with  the  question  of  building  for  commercial 
purposes.  The  commercial  flag  always  precedes  the  efforts  which  the  Govern- 
ment makes  for  resistance  and  defense. 

1  did  not  intend  to  occupy  the  time  of  this  body  so  long,  but  I  do  say  that  any 
report  made  by  this  honored  Board  which  does  not  look  to  the  entire  future  of  the 
country  and  the  necessity  of  a  free  communication  that  shall  extend  from  the 
Hudson  River  to  the  chain  of  lakes  will  be  incomplete  in  its  suggestive  features, 
and  will  fail  to  impress  the  whole  country,  which  is  looking  to  the  needs  of  the 
future  as  well  as  those  of  to-day. 

Sir,  I  beg  you  to  consider  the  needs  of  this  Watervliet  Arsenal  and  the  neces- 
sity of  enabling  products  to  come  direct  from  the  chain  of  lakes  to  the  Atlantic 
seaboard.  I  beg  you  will  consider  this  question  in  all  its  breadth  and  in  all  its 
depth.  I  think  that  all  who  are  assembled  here  to-day  from  whatever  parts  of  the 
country,  and  especially  the  instigators,  will  see  that  whenever  the  National  Gov- 
ernment chooses  to  enter  upon  this  large  work  the  State  of  New  York  will  not  be 
behindhand.  She  has  already  made  these  canals  free,  but  she  holds  possession 
of  it.  She  pays  in  a  single  year  as  much  money  as  the  National  Government  has 
ever  appropriated  for  the  whole  care  of  the  Hudson  River,  and  when  this  ques- 
tion comes  to  be  reached,  as  come  it  will  in  the  future,  I  think  you  will  find  the 
State  of  New  York  prepared  to  pay  its  full  share;  possibly  to  build  everywhere 
so  as  to  connect  with  the  lakes,  and  haveaship  canal  around  the  Falls  of  Niagara. 
These  things  are  coming.  These  things  are  being  built  for  the  future.  We  are 
building  for  the  future,  for  we  do  not  expect  to  live  to  see  all  these  things. 

Whatever  of  money,  whatever  of  intiuence.  whatever  of  power  is  gathered  here 
is  not  for  ourselves,  but  for  those  who  are  to  succeed  us,  and  I  assure  you,  sir, 
that  nations  should  look  prudently  to  the  future  and  build  on  that  basis. 

S.  A.  THOMPSON. 
[Secretary  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Duluth,  Minn.l 

Mr.  Chairman'and  gentlemen,  I  am  here  to  speak  directly  for  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  of  Duluth.  and  indirectly  also  as  the  representative  of  the  people 
of  a  large  portion  of  the  West  and  Northwest  whose  interests  are  bound  up  with 
ours,  and  I  have  come  to  speak  in  favor  of  this  proposed  improvement  of  the  Hud- 
son River,  because  we  are  fully  convinced  that  the  cheap  transportation  furnished 
by  the  waterway,  of  which  this  noble  river  is  a  part  is  the  chief  corner  stone  of 
our  present  prosperity,  and  the  only  sure  foundation  on  which  to  base  our  hope 
and  belief  that  that  prosperity  is  to  endure  and  be  increased. 

The  Hudson  being  an  integral  portion  of  the  waterway  which  connects  the 
Great  Lakes  and  the  sea  through  United  States  territory,  any  improvement  therein 
whereby  navigation  is  made  easier  or  safer,  or  the  cost  of  transportation  is  les- 
sened on  account  of  the  greater  draft  of  the  vessels  which  can  use  it,  is,  there- 
fore, no  longer  a  matter  of  merely  local  concern.  An  improvement  of  the  Hudson 
which  will  allow  ocean  vessels  to  come  to  Albany  will  no  doubt  be  greatly  to  the 
advantage  of  Albany,  but  the  beneficial  effects  of  that  improvement  will  not  be 
confined  by  any  means  to  this  city,  nor  to  the  State  of  New  York,  nor  even  to  the 
ports  on  the  Great  Lakes  from  Oswego  and  Buffalo  to  Chicago  and  Duluth.  Di- 
rectly or  indirectly,  in  greater  or  less  degree,  the  proposed  improvement,  and 
every  improvement  made  at  any  point  in  this  waterway,  as  has  been  so  well  said 
by  Secretary  Windom.  affects  the  business  and  the  prosperity  of  every  commu- 
nity and  every  individual  from  New  York  City  to  the  foothills  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  and  from  the  Great  Lakes  and  the  Canadian  boundary  to  the  Gulf 
States  on  the  south. 

The  time  which  can  be  allowed  to  each  person  at  this  hearing  is  necessarily 
too  short  to  allow  any  extended  argument,  and  I  will,  therefore,  confine  myself, 
in  the  few  minutes  at  my  disposal,  to  as  brief  a  statement  as  possible  of  some  tacts 


38 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


which  seem  to  me  to  have  a  bearing  on  the  question  under  consideration,  and 
some  conclusions  which  seem  to  be  warranted  by  those  facts. 

Some  ten  or  twelve  years  ago  two  gentlemen,  both  of  them  railway  presidents, 
one  of  an  Eastern,  the  other  of  a  Western  road,  sat  talking  together,  and  the  con- 
versation turned  upon  the  continually  increasing  efficiency  and  decreasing  cost 
of  railway  transportation,  owing  to  the  reduction  of  grades,  the  lessening  of 
curves,  and  the  building  of  more  powerful  engines  and  of  cars  which  carried  a 
much  greater  amount  of  paying  freight  in  proportion  to  dead  weight  than  for- 
merly. The  Eastern  man  stated  that  canal  boats  were  about  played  out.  and  that 
river  steamers  were  about  ready  to  follow  the  canal  boats  into  permanent  retire- 
ment, and  expressed  the  opinion  that  it  was  only  a  question  of  time  when  the 
steamships  would  also  be  driven  from  the  Great  Lakes,  leaving  to  the  railways 
an  undisputed  monopoly  of  the  carrying  trade  of  the  continent. 

It  is  exceedingly  interesting  to  note  the  successive  reductions  which  have  been 
made  in  railway  freight  rates,  for,  according  to  Poor's  Manual,  the  average  rate 
per  ton  per  mile  received  by  all  the  railways  in  the  United  States,  which  in  1882 
was  1.236  cents,  had  fallen  in  1889  to  0.976  cent,  a  reduction  of  22  per  cent  in  eight 
years.  Standing  alone  these  figures  would  seem  to  justify  the  prediction  of  the 
railway  president,  but  he  forgot  that  it  was  possible  to  increase  the  efficiency  of 
steamships  as  well  as  of  railways.  I  have  here  a  table  compiled  from  the  reports 
of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade,  showing  the  average  charges  for  carrying  a  bushel 
of  wheat  from  Chicago  to  New  York  for  each  year  from  1868  to  1885,  and  by  each 
of  the  three  possible  methods,  viz,  all  rail,  lake  and  rail,  and  lake,  canal,  and 
Hudson  River  : 


Calendar  years. 

Lake  and 
canal.* 

.Lake  and 
rail. 

All 
rail. 

Calendar  years. 

Lake  and 
canal.* 

Lake  and 
rail. 

All 
rail. 

1868  

25.3 

29.0 

42.6 

1877   

7.5 

15.8 

20.3 

1869  

24.1 

25.0 

35.1 

1878  

10.1 

11.4 

17.7 

1870  

17.5 

22.0 

33.3 

1879  

13.0 

13.3 

17.3 

1871   

21.6 

25.0 

31.0 

1880  

13.2 

15.7 

19.7 

1872...  

26.6 

28.0 

33.5 

1881  

8.6 

10.4 

14.4 

1873  

19.2 

26.9 

33.2 

1882   

8.7 

10.9 

14.6 

1874  

14.2 

16.9 

28  7 

1883   

8.40 
6.59 

11.5 

16.5 

1875  

11.4 

14.3 

24.1 

1884  

9.9 

13.2 

1876  

9.7 

11.8 

16.5 

1885  

4. 55 

9.06 

14.0 

♦Including  Buffalo  charges  and  tolls. 


From  this  table  it  appears  that  the  all-rail  rate  has  fallen  in  that  time  from  42.6 
cents  to  14  cents  per  bushel,  while  the  all-water  rate  has  dropped  from  25.3  cents 
to  4.55  cents  per  bushel.  That  is  to  say,  freight  rates  by  rail  have  been  reduced 
in  the  period  covered  by  the  table  until  the  last  price  named  is  only  one-third 
that  first  mentioned,  but  during  the  same  time  the  all-water  rate  has  been  re- 
duced to  less  than  one-fifth  of  the  rate  first  named.  And  more  than  that,  the 
water  rate  has  always  been  below  the  rail  rate  by  a  percentage  ranging  from  25 
to  67.5. 

From  the  careful  records  kept  at  the  St.  Marys  Falls  Canal  it  appears  that  the 
average  price  per  ton  per  mile  received  by  the  vessels  engaged  in  the  carrying 
trade  of  Lake  Superior  was,  in  1889,  0.15  cent ;  the  total  amount  moved  was 
7,516,022  tons,  and  it  was  carried  an  average  distance  of  790.4  miles.  The  average 
rate  on  all  the  railways  in  the  United  States  in  the  same  year  was  0.976  cent,  or 
more  than  six  times  as  much.  In  other  words,  to  move  the  same  amount  of 
freight  the  same  distance  by  rail  would  have  cost  in  round  numbers  $50,000,000 
more  than  it  did  cost  to  move  it  by  water.  Wheat  has  been  carried  from  ( Jhicago 
to  Buffalo  for  1  cent  per  bushel,  or  0.04  cent  per  ton  per  mile,  and  thousands  of 
tons  of  coal  have  been  carried  from  Buffalo  to  Duluth  at  25  cents  per  ton,  or  0.025 
cent  per  ton  per  mile. 

These  are  prices  charged.  If  we  investigate  the  actual  cost  of  freight  move- 
ment by  rail  and  by  water  we  shall  find  some  figures  which  are  almost  startling. 
Careful  experiments  conducted  for  a  long  period  on  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway 
showed  the  actual  cost  of  moving  freight,  exclusive  of  fixed  charges,  to  be  0.5 
cent  per  ton  per  mile.  The  average  cost  on  all  the  roads  reporting  to  the  Intel  - 
state  Commerce  Commission  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1890.  was  nearly 
20  per  cent  greater,  being  0.593  cent  per  ton  per  mile,  while  the  iowesl  cost  T  have 
been  able  to  find  on  record  is  in  the  case  of  the  Lake  Shore  and  Michigan  South- 
ern, which  has  been  able  in  exceptionally  favorable  years  to  report  a  cost  as  low 
as  0.4  cent  per  ton  per  mile. 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


39 


The  Western  railway  president  above  mentioned  related  sometime  ago  the  in- 
cident of  his  conversation  with  the  president  of  the  eastern  railway  and  added: 
"  I  might  have  continued  to  share  his  belief  in  the  ultimate  triumph  of  the  rail- 
way over  the  steamship  if  I  had  not  had  occasion  to  build  and  operate  a  line  of 
steamships  myself.  These  boats  carry  2.700  tons  of  freight  on  the  present  depth 
of  water  at  the  Sault,  and  make  the  run  from  Duluth  to  Buffalo  in  three  days  and 
a  half,  and  cost  an  average  of  $120  per  day."  Calling  the  distance  from  Duluth 
to  Buffalo  1,000  miles,  and  we  find  these  figures  are  equivalent  to  .015  cent  per  ton 
mile,  only  one- twenty-sixth  the  cost  on  the  Lake  Shore  road.  Or  to  express  the 
same  fact  in  terms  which  will  be  more  readily  understood  by  the  average  busi- 
ness man,  it  cost  $26  on  the  most  favorably  situated  railroad  in  the  United  States 
to  do  what  is  done  on  the  Great  Lakes  for  $1.  These  apparently  disconnected 
figures  are,  in  reality,  very  closely  related,  and  I  have  set  them  in  array  as  a 
support  to  my  first  conclusion,  viz:  That  under  existing  conditions  it  is  utterly 
impossible  for  railways  to  carry  freight  as  cheaply  as  it  can  be  carried  by  water. 

The  Erie  Canal  was  at  first  built  to  accommodate  boats  of  about  80  tons.  Its  en- 
largement to  accommodate  boats  of  210  tons  effected  a  reduction  of  50  per  cent 
in  freights. 

A  study  of  the  reports  of  the  New  York  canal  board  shows  that  the  actual  cost 
of  freight  movement  on  the  Erie  Canal  at  present  is  about  .2  cent  per  ton  mile, 
only  half  as  much  as  the  lowest  rail  rate,  while,  as  we  have  seen  above,  the  cost- 
in  lake  steamships  is  but  one-twenty-sixth  of  that  rate.  Ocean  freights  are  still 
less;  hence  my  second  conclusion  is,  that  the  cost  of  water  transportation  de- 
creases as  the  size  of  the  carrier  increases. 

On  roads  subject  to  water  competition  freight  rates  invaribly  go  up  when  navi- 
gation closes  in  the  fall  and  go  down  again  when  navigation  reopens  in  the 
spring.  A  study  of  the  statistics  in  Poor's  Manual  or  the  report  of  the  Interstate 
Commerce  Commission  shows  that  the  lowest  rates  are  found  on  roads  most  sub- 
ject to  water  competition.  Take,  for  instance,  the  Lake  Shore  and  Michigan 
Southern  with  its  average  rate  of  .653  cent  and  the  Michigan  Central  with  .726 
cent  per  ton  mile  and  compare  these  rates  with  those  on  the  Chicago,  Milwau- 
kee and  St.  Paul,  and  Chicago  and  Northwestern  roads,  which  were  1.06  and 
1 .03.  respectively.  My  third  conclusion,  therefore,  is  that  water  ways  are  the  most 
potent  possible  regulators  of  railway  rates 

It  should  be  noted,  also,  that  the  influence  of  water  competition  extends  far  be- 
yond the  roads  which  lie  nearest  to  the  water  way.  The  Lake  Shore  and  New 
York  Central,  for  instance,  considered  as  one,  are  compelled  to  make  rates  under 
the  intluence  of  a  water  way  which  extends  all  the  way  from  Chicago  to  New  York. 
The  Pennsylvania  CentraL  away  to  the  south,  can  not  charge  more  than  the  New 
York  Central,  or  the  latter  road  would  get  the  business ;  and  so  it  goes.  Nor  is 
the  influence  o^  the  water  way  confined  entirely  to  the  season  of  navigation.  Mr. 
Albert  Fink  testified  before  the  Senate  Select  Committee  on  Interstate  Commerce 
that,  so  far  as  grain  was  concerned,  this  influence  extended  throughout  the  winter, 
for  if  the  rates  were  made  too  high  the  grain  was  simply  stored  to  await  the  drop 
in  rates  which  was  certain  to  come  when  navigation  was  again  opened. 

Supposing,  then,  for  the  moment,  that  other  things  are  to  remain  as  they  are, 
the  Duluth  Chamber  of  Commerce  favors  the  proposed  improvement  because  it 
will  make  the  city  of  Albany  an  ocean  port  and  will  increase  the  prosperity  of 
her  manufacturers,  her  mechanics,  her  wholesalers,  her  merchants,  and  citizens 
generally,  thus  adding  to  the  prosperity  of  our  common  country. 

We  favor  it  because  established  lines  of  communication,  both  rail  and  water, 
so  radiate  from  this  city  that  a  large  territory  tributary  thereto  will  share  in  the 
benefits  mentioned. 

We  favor  it  because  it  strengthens  the  great  through  line  of  water  transporta- 
tion on  which  depends  the  prosperity  of  our  own  city  and  of  all  the  great  region 
of  which  Duluth  is  the  nearest  lake  port.  We  favor  it  because  it  will  be.  in  con- 
nection with  things  as  they  now  are,  a  direct,  positive,  appreciable  benefit  to  us. 

But  most  of  all,  we  favor  it  because  we  do  not  want  things  to  remain  as  they 
are,  and  we  believe  that  this  improvement  when  made  will  help  to  change  them. 
The  figures  I  have  given  as  the  net  cost  of  water  transportation  on  the  Great 
Lakes  are  the  results  which  have  been  attained  on  a  draft  of  15  feet.  The  ap- 
propriation is  made,  and  the  work  is  now  in  progress  which  will  give  a  depth  Of 
20  feet  through  the  St.  Marys  River  instead  of  15.  Twenty  feet  of  water  at  the 
Sault  necessarily  implies  a  corresponding  improvement  of  the  channel  through 
the  St.  Clair  flats.  Speaking  to  a  convention  called  in  the  interest  of  the  water 
ways,  Mr.  Jas.  J .  Hill,  of  the  Great  Northern  road,  the  Western  railway  president 


4.0 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


to  whom  I  have  before  referred,  said:  "The  Government  engineers  propose  to 
give  us  20  feet  of  water.  We  shall  accept  the  20  feet,  and  use  it  \vhen  we  get  it, 
but  I  promise  you  that  whenever  they  will  guarantee  me  18  feet,  I  will  build  a 
line  of  boats  that  will  carry  6,000  tons  instead  of  3,000,  which  is  now  the  limit, 
and  cut  the  present  cost  of  lake  transportation  square  in  two." 

If  he  can  build  vessels  of  6,000  tons  burden  on  18  feet  of  water,  I  should  suppose 
that  20  feet  would  make  possible  boats  that  would  carry  8,000,  perhaps  even  10.000 
tons  by  the  use  of  very  full  lines  and  twin  screws.  But  no  matter  about  that. 
Vessels  carrying  5,000  or  6,000  tons  will  do  well  enough,  and  judging  from  the 
figures  we  have  found  for  vessels  carrying  2,700  tons,  one  will  need  some  kind  of 
a  financial  microscope  in  order  to  be  able  to  see  the  ton  mile  rate  for  vessels  twice 
the  size.  These  are  not  wild  dreams,  but  certainties  of  the  near  future,  and  do 
you  suppose,  gentlemen,  when  vessels  of  that  class  can  come  up  the  Hudson  as  far 
as  Albany,  and  come  east  on  the  lakes  as  far  as  Buifalo,  that  we  shall  long  rest 
content  with  a  6-foot  ditch  between?  I  tell  you  no.  One  of  the  first  things  we 
shall  probably  call  for  is  the  building  of  the  ship  canal  around  Niagara  Falls,  not 
because  we  love  Buffalo  less,  nor  Oswego  more,  but  because  we  love  ourselves  so 
much.  We  want  to  shorten  the  distance  that  separates  the  steamship  on  the 
Great  Lakes  from  the  steamship  that  comes  up  the  Hudson  from  the  sea,  and  we 
do  not  intend  to  stop  shortening  that  distance  until  we  have  shortened  it  clean 
out  of  existence,  and  our  steamships  of  5,000  tons  can  sail  unhindered  from  any 
port  on  the  Great  Lakes  to  any  part  of  the  world.  If  you  begin  to  count  the  cost 
and  say  "impossible,"  we  answer,  "it  is  a  necessity,  and  necessities  are  never 
impossible."  When  I  say  "we,"  I  speak  no  longer  for  Duluth  alone,  but  as  a 
representative  of  the  mighty  commerce  of  the  lakes.  And  I  use  that  word 
"  mighty  "  advisedly.  I  have  not  the  figures  at  hand  for  the  tonnage  passing 
through  the  Suez  Canal  in  1890,  but  in  1889  the  tonnage  passing  through  the 
Sault  Canal,  away  in  the  center  of  the  continent,  exceeded  that  passing  through 
the  Suez  by  nearly  three-quarters  of  a  million  tons,  a  fact  that  every  American 
ought  to  know,  and  which  I  for  one  am  proud  of. 


And  the  Sault  was  only  open  two  hundred  and  thirty -four  days,  while  the  Suez 
was  open  the  entire  year. 

The  tonnage  through  the  Sault  in  1890  increased  to  9,041,213  tons,  which  is  al- 
most exactly  the  same  as  the  combined  tonnage  entries  of  New  York,  Philadel- 
phia, and  Boston  for  the  fiscal  year  1889-'90  (9,073,690).  These  figures,  however, 
great  as  they  are,  represent  only  the  business  of  Lake  Superior.  The  tonnage 
passing  through  the  Detriot  River  in  1889  amounted  to  36,203.606,  nearly  10,000,000 
tons  more  than  the  combined  entries  and  clearances  of  all  the  seaports  of  the 
United  States,  from  Quoddy  Head  around  to  Puget  Sound,  and  3.000,000  tons 
greater  than  the  combined  coastwise  and  foreign  shipping  of  Liverpool  and 
London. 

All  United  States  seaports     26,  983,  315 

London  _._      19,245,417 

Liverpool  _      14, 175,  200 


Such  a  commerce  as  that,  Mr.  Chairman,  has  a  right  to  speak,  and  when  it 
speaks,  it  is  entitled  to  be  heard.  Speaking,  then,  as  a  representative  of  this 
mighty  commerce,  I  say  that  a  direct  outlet  to  the  sea  is  a  necessity,  and  that 
we  shall  have  it,  sooner  or  later,  by  one  route  or  another,  is  a  certainty.  All 
possible  routes  through  United  States  territory  converge  at  Albany,  and  the 
nature  of  the  report  which  you  gentlemen  shall  make,  will  have  an  important 
bearing  on  the  question  whether  that  route  shall  lie  entirely  in  our  own  territory, 
available  alike  in  peace  or  war,  adding  in  the  one  case  to  our  prosperity,  and  mak- 
ing certain  our  protection  in  the  other,  or  whether  it  shall  lie  through  Canadian 
waters.  As  for  the  people  of  Duluth,  whether  considered  in  relation  to  the  pres- 
ent benefits,  or  the  prospective  changes  which  it  will  help  to  bring,  we  are  un- 
reservedly in  favor  of  the  deepening  of  the  Hudson  River. 


Sault 
Suez  . 


7,  516,  022 
6,  783, 187 


732,  835 


Both 


33,  420,  617 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


41 


GEO.  S  COLEMAN. 
[Assistant  to  the  counsel  to  the  corporation  of  the  city  of  New  York.] 

Mr.  Chairman  and  gentlemen,  I  appear  to-day  as  the  representative  of  the 
mayor  of  the  city  of  New  York,  who  is  unable  to  attend  personally,  and  through 
the"  mayor  as  the  representative  of  the  people  of  the  city  of  New  York.  I  do  not 
mean  by  this,  the  corporations  alone,  or  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  or  the  Boards 
of  Trade,  or  the  men  of  wealth,  but  I  mean  the  people  as  a  whole — the  people 
whom  the  chief  magistrate  of  the  city  of  New  York  represents. 

I  understand  the  question  under  consideration  here  to  be  a  Federal  one — one 
involving  the  greatest  good  of  the  greatest  number.  If  for  a  time  the  contem- 
plated improvement  of  this  great  Hudson  River  should  injure  th'e  interests  of  cer- 
tain people  in  the  city  of  New  York,  it  can  not  be  questioned  that  it  will  ulti- 
mately be  a  benefit  to  the  people  of  the  city.  The  State  has  for  some  years  past 
been  endeavoring  to  protect  the  sources  of  this  noble  river  by  taking  measures  to 
preserve  the  Adirondack  forests  from  destruction.  If  it  is  worth  while  for  the 
State  to  appoint  a  commission  for  this  purpose  so  as  to  enable  the  river  to  live, 
there  is  but  one  step  further,  and  that  step  the  Federal  Government  can  take  by 
widening  and  deepening  the  channel  of  that  river.  The  United  States  Govern- 
ment is  at  present  engaged  in  widening  the  Harlem  River  channel.  Improved 
facilities  for  navigation  we  can  not  get  too  much  of.  The  city  of  New  York  has 
been  spoken  of  as  a  place  where  it  is  difficult  for  a  vessel  to  enter  and  be  accom- 
modated. That  may  be  true  to  a  certain  extent.  The  city's  rights  with  respect 
to  the  water  front  have  been,  and  still  are,  involved  in  litigation  ;  but  when  those 
rights  shall  have  been  finally  determined,  you  may  depend  upon  it,  that  every 
part  of  Manhattan  Island  (which,  unfortunately,  is  limited  in  its  extent),  every 
possible  foot  of  water  front,  will  be  made  available  for  the  commerce  of  the  Em- 
pire State  ;  for  it  can  not  be  denied  that  New  York  is  the  Empire  State,  or  that 
the  city  of  New  York  is  the  empress  of  American  cities.  We  are  in  favor  of 
this  movement,  for  anything  that  tends  to  improve  the  commerce  of  the  United 
States  and  the  State  of  New  York  will  be  reflected  in  the  increased  prosperity  of 
the  people  of  New  York  City.  You  cheapen  the  food  products  and  the  building 
materials  that  ceme  into  that  city,  and  you  can  not  help  but  advance  the  interests 
of  the  population  as  a  whole.  If  there  is  anything  in  this  improvement  which 
may  conflict  with  the  interests  of  corporations,  they  will  undoubtedly  have  an 
opportunity  of  speaking  to  the  Congress  of  the  country.  The  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania has  recently  adopted  plans  which  will  improve  the  roads  of  that  great  State, 
and  our  own  governor  has  tried  in  many  ways  in  recent  years  to  encourage  the 
improvement  o^  the  roads  in  the  State  of  New  York.  That  is  but  another  step 
in  this  same  direction.  We  can  not  do  too  much  to  improve  our  means  of  com- 
munication or  facilities  for  transportation. 

While  not  attempting  in  any  way  to  represent  the  great  bodies  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  whose  interests  would  be  most  likely  to  be  affected  by  this  project, 
but  speaking  for  the  people  as  a  community,  I  say  that  whatever  will  help  this 
State  and  the  people  of  the  West  must  in  every  way  result  in  the  ultimate  ad- 
vancement of  the  city  of  New  York,  and  can  not  help  but  be  of  great  advantage  to 
all  the  people  who  live  in  the  towns  and  cities  that  surround  it. 

There  is  one  point  which  has  not  been  touched  upon  by  other  speakers.  By  res- 
olution of  Congress  you  are  called  upon  to  report  when  this  improvement  should 
begin.  The  facts  that  are  given  by  gentlemen  who  come  here  with  statistics 
show  that  this  work  would  be  useful,  and  the  figures  demonstrate  the  relative 
values  of  water  ways,  but  the  third  point  on  which  you  are  called  upon  to  report 
is  the  advisability  of  beginning  the  improvement  at  the  present  time.  The  res- 
olution speaks  of  "  obstructions  to  navigation."  It  implies  that  there  is  some- 
thing in  the  way.  And  I  say  in  behalf  of  the  city  of  New  York  that  the  sooner 
the  obstacle  is  removed,  the  better  for  all  the  interests  concerned. 

T.  A.  JOHNSON. 
[Of  Glens  Falls,  New  York.] 

Mr.  Chairman  and  gentlemen  of  the  Commission,  in  common  with  the  citizens 
of  Glens  Falls  with  whom  I  am  visting  here  to-day,  I  am  unwilling  to  take  up 
your  time  by  the  presentation  of  any  argument,  or  by  attempting  to  add  to  the 
facts  and  figures  which  have  been  so  ably  presented."  Our  object  in  accepting 
the  invitation  to  come  here  is  to  add,  by  our  presence,  to  the  local  interest 


42 


HUDSON  EIVER. 


which  is  felt  in  this  proposed  national  improvement,  for  it  emphatically  will  be 
a  national  improvement.  We  come  from  that  section  of  this  great  State  that  has 
a  great  deal  to  do,  in  its  locality,  with  furnishing  the  water  for  this  river,  and 
without  the  water  it  would  not  be  worth  much  for  any  purpose.  We  are  at  the 
gateway  of  the  Ticonderogas,  to  which  the  gentleman  who  has  just  taken  his 
seat  has  made  reference  in  his  remarks  about  the  preservation  of  the  forests  and 
the  preservation  of  the  water  supply.  I  think  I  am  warranted  in  saying  for  all 
the  gentlemen  who  surround  me  from  our  own  village,  some  50  or  60  miles  north 
of  here,  that  I  only  speak  the  sentiment  of  the  entire  business  part  of  our  village 
when  I  say  that  we  are,  from  first  to  last,  emphatically  in  favor  of  this  proposed 
improvement.  It  seems  to  me  that  as  an  humble  citizen  of  this  State  and  nation, 
that  the  benefits  to  acrue  from  such  an  improvement  as  this  can  hardly  be  over- 
estimated cr  overstated. 

I  am  glad  that*I  came  here,  for  a  great  many  reasons;  particularly,  that  I  am 
able  to  look  at  such  a  representation  from  such  a  large  portion  of  this  State.  I 
am  very  glad  that  I  have  been  able  to  hear  so  many  able  letters  and  papers  read 
and  very  glad  that  I  am  able  to  look  upon  and  hear  from  the  grand  old  man  from 
Troy.  I  have  heard  a  great  deal  about  Troy  all  my  life.  I  was  born  on  the  Hud- 
son River  and  have  always  lived  there,  and  I  have  always  said,  that  no  matter 
what  was  got  up,  good,  bad.  or  indifferent,  that  was  claimed  for  anything,  Troy 
put  in  the  first  claim  afterward.  I  once  heard  about  a  man  who  died  and  was 
transported  to  Paradise.  After  being  around  a  good  deal,  he  felt  rather  gloomy, 
and  said  he  felt  homesick  and  wanted  to  get  back  to  Troy. 

It  seems  to  me  that  every  business  interest  of  every  man  from  every  section, 
not  even  confined  to  this  State,  is  to  be  favorably  affected  by  this  proposed  im- 
provement of  the  Hudson  River,  which  is  at  once  our  pride  and  our  boast.  It 
should  command  the  heartiest  support  of  every  citizen  of  this  great  and  free  Re- 
public, and  I  believe,  as  was  said  by  the  gentleman  from  Troy,  that  if  this  thing 
is  presented  as  it  ought  to  be,  and  I  believe  it  will  be  no  trouble  in  getting  a  fa- 
vorable report  from  the  Committee  on  Rivers  and  Harbors  of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives, and  I  look  forward  to  the  time — perhaps  not  in  my  day — when  this 
waterway  is  deepened  as  proposed,  and  when  these  ocean  vessels  can  come  up 
this  magnificent  highway  of  commerce  and  shall  here  receive  their  loads  of  grain 
and  everything  else  that  is  brought  from  the  great  West  and  the  North,  with 
Troy  and  Albany  combined,  sitting  here  at  the  head  of  navigation  as  the 
queen  of  the  feast:  and  I  may  add.  I  wish  that  Mr.  Townsend  may  be  spared  to 
be  the  presiding  officer  and  magistrate  of  the  combined  cities. 

Col.  Gillespie.  The  meeting  will  now  (1:20  p.  m.)  take  an  adjournment  for  one 
hour. 

JOHN  F.  LAPE. 
[Representing  the  citizens  of  Greenbush,  N.  Y.l 

Gentlemen,  for  over  nineteen  months  I  have  worked  almost  incessantly  for 
the  Hudson  River'  ship  canal.  I  have  prepared  a  paper  which  I  will  have  my 
colleague,  Mr.  Chauncey,  read: 

The  address  is  as  follows: 

Gentlemen,  the  Hudson  River  is  the  nation's  great  highway  between  the  sea- 
board and  the  extensive  and  productive  lake  region  of  the  West,  Northwest, 
and  central  Canada,  and  with  the  Erie  Canal,  it  regulates  freight  rates  as  far  as 
the  Dakotas.  As  early  as  1768  a  passageway  for  boats  was  built  between  the 
Mohawk  and  Lake  Ontario,  through  Wood  Creek  and  Oneida  Lake,  and  at  that 
time  Sir  Henry  Moore,  colonial  governor  of  New  York,  recommended  the  Gen- 
eral Assembly  to  build  a  canal  around  the  rapids  of  the  Mohawk  at  Little  Falls. 
In  1791--92  the  canal  was  built  with  five  locks  at  Little  Falls,  another  at  Ger- 
man Flats,  and  another  at  Wood  Creek,  making  a  canal  7  miles  long,  and  for 
which  the  sum  of  $400,000  was  paid.  Nothing  further  was  done  until  1807,  when 
ihe  canal  question  was  revived  by  the  Hon.  Albert  Gallatin.  Secretary  of  the 
United  States  Treasury,  who  prepared  an  able  state  paper  on  the  subject  for  the 
United  States  Senate.  Secretary  Gallatin  advocated  the  joining  of  the  Hudson 
River  and  Lake  Ontario  with  a  second  canal.  In  1809  De  Witt  Clinton  was  choeet) 
one  of  a  commission  to  survey  a  route  from  the  Hudson  to  the  Great  Lakes  of  the 
West,  and  Buffalo  was  selected  as  the  western  terminus ;  but  one  delay  followed 
another,  and  the  war  of  1812  postponed  the  measure  until  1817,  when  a  bill  au- 
thorizing the  construction  of  the  Erie  Canal  was  passed,  and  work  on  the  great 
waterway  to  the  West  commenced.  With  the  election  of  Clinton  as  governor, 
work  was  progressed,  and  the  Erie  Canal  was  declared  finished  on  the  26th  day 


HUDSON  RIYER. 


43 


of  October.  1825 ;  but  no  sooner  was  it  declared  finished  and  ready  for  traffic  than 
its  enlargement  was  found  necessary,  and  at  an  enormous  expense  this  was  ac- 
complished in  1862. 

Up  to  the  present  time  the  State  of  New  York  has  expended  something-  over 
$135,000,000  for  construction,  maintenance,  and  operation  of  the  Erie  and  other 
canals  throughout  the  State,  and  $1,431,429  for  dredging,  building- dikes,  and 
improving  navigation  on  the  upper  Hudson,  and  the  General  Government  has 
also  expended  up  to  1879,  a  grand  total  of  $1,350,000,  for  dikes  and  improvements, 
but  since  that  time  all  work  of  any  importance  on  the  upper  Hudson  has  been 
done  by  the  State  government. 

In  1882  the  people  of  New  York  State  voted  to  throw  its  great  water  ways  open, 
free  to  the  commerce  of  the  world,  and  the  present  average  tonnage  is  5,106,401 
tons  per  annum j  valued  at  $150,000,000.  The  total  tonnage  of  the  Hudson  River 
between  Troy  and  New  York  is  not  far  from  18.500,000  tons  per  annum,  a  consid- 
erable more  than  twice  as  much  as  the  great  Mississippi,  and  seven  or  eight  times 
as  much  as  the  Missouri  and  Ohio  rivers.  With  the  development  of  the  North- 
west, the  commerce  of  the  Great  Lakes  has  grown  to  wonderful  proportions,  but 
what  has  been  is  as  nothing  compared  with  what  the  next  score  of  years  will 
show.  More  tons  of  freight  pass  through  the  Detroit  River  each  year  than  the 
total  exports  and  imports  of  the  United  States.  In  1887  the  ore  output  from  the 
Superior  regions  amounted  to  4.700,000  tons :  this  year  the  total  will  be  about 
8.500,000  tons.  In  1889.  Chicago.  Milwaukee,  West  Superior,  and  Duluth  shipped 
to  Buffalo  more  than  34.887,000  bushels  of  wheat,  and  this  year  the  grain  fleet  on 
its  first  trip  brought  down  110,000  tons  of  wheat,  corn,  oats,  rye,  and  flaxseed. 
The  trade  of  ore  and  grain  forms  only  a  portion  of  the  great  traffic  of  the  lakes. 
The  Canadian  commerce  adjoining  the  western  lakes  is  only  in  the  first  stage  of 
development.  A  competent  American  authority  has  stated  that  Canada  posesses 
two-thirds  of  the  wheat-producing  area  of  this  continent.  An  examination  of  a 
section  between  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  Hudson  Bay,  covering  1,260.000  square 
miles,  shows  that  860,000  square  miles  are  fit  for  settlement  and  adapted  to  the 
raising  of  potatoes,  barley,  and  wheat. 

This  immense  territory  also  contains  inexhaustible  deposits  of  silver,  iron, 
graphite,  ocher,  brick  and  pottery  clay,  mica,  gypsum,  lime,  and  sandstone,  while 
the  petroleum  area  is  so  extensive  as  to  justify  the  belief  that  eventually  it  will 
supply  not  only  the  larger  part  of  North  America,  but  many  foreign  countries. 

Less  than  10  per  cent  of  the  Great  Lake  traffic  is  in  Canadian  vessels,  or  in  other 
words,  on  all  the  lakes  the  stars  and  stripes  float  supreme,  and  here  in  winter  can  fre- 
quently be  seen  larger  fleets  under  the  American  flag  than  in  any  ocean  port. 
The  nearer  a  steamship  can  be  brought  to  the  Great  Lakes,  the  better  it  will  be 
for  the  surrounding  country  for  hundreds  of  miles. 

In  this  ageibf  competition,  every  enlightened  country  is  holding  fast  to  its  in- 
dustries and  commerce,  and  with  the  deepening  of  the  Hudson,  we  simply  propose 
to  bring  Buffalo  and  the  great  western  country  150  miles  closer  to  the  seaboard. 
With  a  ship  channel  to  Troy,  the  western  shipper  would  not  only  effect  a  saving 
of  300  miles  of  towing  to  and  from  New  York,  but  would  be  able  to  make  at  least 
six  or  eight  additional  trips  from  Buffalo  to  West  Troy  every  season .  At  present 
it  takes  ten  steam  canal  boats  to  transport  2,400  tons  of  grain  from  West  Troy  to 
New  York  City,  and  each  of  these  canal  boats  will  consume  forty  hours  to  make 
the  passage,  which  gives  us  a  grand  total  of  seventeen  days  less  eight  hours,  and 
seven  or  eight  of  these  boats  will  return  to  Buffalo  without  earning  one  dollar, 
consequently  the  home-bound  passage  will  consume  all  the  profits  made  with  the 
cargo. 

A  steamship  would  come  from  New  York  to  West  Troy  in  ten  hours,  receive  a 
cargo  in  ten  hours,  return  to  New  York  in  ten  hours,  and  be  150  miles  at  sea 
before  the  steam  canal  boats  had  covered  the  distance  from  West  Troy  to  New 
York  and  made  fast  to  the  dock  at  the  latter  place  with  its  240  tons  of  wheat. 

The  Hudson  River  is  and  will  always  remain  an  arm  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and 
no  matter  how  deep  it  may  be  dredged  its  present  level  can  never  be  lowered. 
No  locks  or  artificial  supply  of  water  will  be  needed  to  keep  the  channel  free  from 
sand  bars  and  other  obstructions — the  deeper  the  channel,  thebetter — as  sand  bars 
form  only  in  shallow  places.  With  a  great  body  of  deep  water  passing  through 
a  channel,  all  sediment  and  mud  at  the  bottom  is  scoured  away,  and  a  uniform 
depth  is  maintained. 

When  the  St.  Lawrence  ship  channel  was  excavated  through  Lake  St.  Peter,  a 
few  miles  below  Montreal,  the  most  experienced  pilots  of  that  day  said  it  would 
be  immediately  filled  with  the  shifting  sand  at  the  sides  and  bottom,  but  investi- 
gation and  sounding  after  the  expiration  of  seven  years  proved  that  it  had  actually 


44 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


grown  deeper.  The  project  met  with  no  further  opposition,  and  the  great  work 
was  successfully  completed,  which  made  Montreal,  though  situated  1.000  miles 
from  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  a  grand  commercial  city.  If  the  commerce  of  the  Great 
Lakes  and  the  Hudson  is  not  to  be  considered,  "then  there  is  another  good  and 
substantial  reason  why  the  river  should  have  a  ship  channel . 

The  Government  has  just  establshed  a  gun  foundry  at  West  Troy  on  the  grounds 
of  the  Watervliet  Arsenal,  and  to  equip  war  vessels  with  the  heavy  carriages 
and  guns  which  it  is  intended  to  construct  at  that  plant  it  will  be  necessary  for 
the  war  vessels  and  battle  ship  to  reach  the  docks  of  the  Government  works. 

No  ordinary  railway  bridge  would  sustain  the  weight  of  the  largest  gun.  and 
besides,  the  expense  of  transporting  them  by  rail,  unloading,  and  placing  them 
on  board  the  war  ships  would  soon  exhaust  more  funds  than  is  required  to  con- 
struct the  proposed  ship  channel  from  Hudson  to  the  State  dam  at  Troy.  But 
with  the  enormous  commerce  of  the  Great  Lakes,  and  with  the  entire  Northern, 
Western,  and  Northwestern  country  asking  for  more  rapid  and  cheaper  trans- 
portation to  the  seaboard,  it  becomes  the  duty  of  the  Federal  Government  to 
make  the  Hudson  River  what  nature  intended  it  should  be — the  chief  and  natural 
water  route  to  the  great  and  growing  West. 

HON.  H.  G.  BURLEIGH. 
[Of  Whitehall,  N.  Y.] 

Gentlemen,  it  is  a  well-known  fact  in  my  Congressional  district  that  it  is 
usual  to  speak  of  Mr.  Townsend  and  Col.  McArthur,  notwithstanding  that  wre  live 
in  a  modern  age,  as  the  "  Heroes  of  Troy." 

The  only  difficulty  in  the  way  of  improving  the  waterways  of  this  State  and 
the  transportation  facilities  of  "the  West  is  the  State  of  New  York  itself.  Mr. 
Youngman  referred  to  Mr.  Windom's  report.  I  believe  that  in  the  year  1873  the 
United  States  Senate  appointed  a  committee  on  the  best  transportation  routes 
from  the  West  to  the  sea.  Senator  Conkling  and  Senator  Sherman  were  on  that 
committee,  and  they  brought  the  attention  of  this  country  to  the  fast  growing 
commerce  of  the  West.  There  is  no  doubt,  if  Great  Britain  owned  the  State  of 
New  York,  that  we  would  have  water  ways  to  the  West.  Millions  of  money  have 
been  spent  for  the  commerce  of  the  Argentine  Republic  alone,  which  is  so  much 
less  than  the  commerce  of  the  West.  The  gentleman  from  Duluth  who  sp^ke  so 
ably  here,  said  he  had  been  told  by  one  of  the  prominent  men  of  the  West,  Mr. 
Hill,  that  the  wheat-growing  section  of  the  Northwest  was  something  fabulous, 
and  that  they  were  going  to  have  an  outlet.  The  vast  improvements  in  steam- 
boats and  the  present  methods  of  transportation  are  equal  to  the  improvements 
of  the  railroad  system.  The  metropolitan  press,  in  speaking  of  our  canal  sys- 
tem, have  created  the  impression  adverse  to  it,  and  they  have  done  so  per  sist- 
ently  for  the  last  year,  and  the  New  York  Tribune  spoke  of  a  deficit  in  the  canal 
system  of  several  millions. 

Now.  what  is  that  deficit?  $4,000,000  were  loaned  to  the  Erie  road  :  $3,000,000 
to  the  salt  works,  and  to  the  State  prisons  of  this  State  $200,000,  and  that  to-day 
stands  for  the  canal  system  of  this  State.  They  were  not  got  to  pay  the  expenses 
of  the  Government,  nor  the  debt  of  the  Erie  road.  When  I  was  chairman  of  the 
canals  committee  in  1875  I  investigated  the  matter  thoroughly,  and  the  expense 
of  maintaining  the  water  ways  of  the  State  to-day  is  not  one-half  what  it  is  to 
maintain  the  capitol  on  the  hill. 

All  that  you  have  got  to  do  to-day  to  get  this  matter  through  is  to  goto  Wash- 
ington, and  the  Northwest  represented  there  will  meet  you.  The  very  able 
chairman  of  the  River  and  Harbor  Committee  is  willing  to  improve  the  facilities 
that  exist  in  the  water  ways  of  the  West,  and  most  every  one.  even  the  Southern 
members,  appreciate  the  value  of  the  transportation  routes  by  way  of  the  West- 
ern lakes  and  the  Hudson  River.  The  gentlemen  that  come  down  from  Lake 
Champlain  and  are  here  to-day  illustrate  how  every  man  in  the  Lake  Champlain 
valley  is  in  favor  of  this  great  movement,  and  if  the  city  of  Albany  will  meet 
this  question  there  is  no  doubt  but  what  it  will  be  accomplished,  The  gentleman 
from  Troy,  Mr.  Townsend,  omitted  to  speak  of  the  Hudson  River  further  up. 
Do  we  realize  the  extent  of  the  Canadian  rivers  tributary  to  this  great  Cham" 
plain  valley  ?  There  are  only  two  great  valleys— the  Champlain  region  and  the 
Oswego  valley,  and  it  is  fully  time  that  the  State  of  New  York  moved  up  to  the 
importance  of  the  question.  The  water  ways  have  not  received  the  attention 
they  are  entitled  to.  One  hundred  thousand  men  of  this  State  are  employed  on 
the  Great  Lakes,  and  millions  of  dollars  are  invested  in  canal  boats.    One  mil- 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


45 


lion,  four  hundred  thousand  tons  come  down  the  Champlain  Canal.  Nearly 
1,600,000  tons  are  put  upon  canal  boats  that  have  a  draft  of  4  feet  of  water. 

Now,  if  the  Hudson  River  were  improved  to  Fort  Edward  this  canal  would 
vastly  improve  the  great  trade  which  now  exists  in  the  North,  and  I  wish  to  call 
the  attention  of  this  board  in  making  their  report  that  I  think  there  should  be 
a  survey  through  to  Port  Edward  on  the  Hudson  River. 

Let  me  call  your  attention  to  another  fact.  Ten  million  tons  of  iron  ore  are 
produced  in  the  United  States.  Lake  Champlain  produces  one-tenth  of  it.  It  is 
capable  of  producing  one-third  of  the  entire  ore  of  this  country. 

I  tell  you  that  the  northern  part  of  this  State  is  ready  and  willing  to  help  you 
in  this  matter.  Talk  about  the  expense  of  maintenance.  What  is  the  expense  ? 
It  is  about  18  cents  on  the  $100.  It  is  a  mere  nothing.  No  other  country  on  this 
earth  would  permit  \ts  water  ways,  especially  such  a  one  as  this  magniiicent 
Hudson  River,  to  remain  unimproved.  Even  Spain  or  Mexico,  if  they  had  these 
vast  water  ways,  would  feel  themselves  disgraced  at  the  care  and  protection  that 
is  given  to  them. 

|H.  B.  SILLIMAN. 
[Of  Cohoes,  N.  Y.] 

Mr.  Chairman,  after  what  has  been  said,  and  so  well  said,  as  to  this  measure, 
what  I  have  to  say  with  reference  to  the  peculiar  locality  which  I  have  been 
called  upon  to  represent  I  have  sometimes  thought  might  be  unsaid. 

I  come  from  a  city  3  miles  above  Troy.  Both  the  southern  boundary  of  the  city 
of  Cohoes  and  the  northern  boundary  line  of  the  city  of  Troy,  if  extended,  would 
nearly  coincide.  It  is  a  manufacturing  place  entirely.  The  facilities  which  it 
possesses  for  this  purpose  we  consider  almost  unequaled.  The  topography  of  the 
place  is,  allow  me  briefly  to  state,  as  follows:  We  lie  for  a  mile  and  a  half  on  the 
Hudson  River  which  is  above  Troy.  On  the  northern  boundary  of  the  city  is  the 
Mohawk  River,  having  within  the  boundaries  of  the  city  or  within  its  lines  about 
140  feet  flow,  over  half  of  which  is  available  for  hydraulic  purposes  for  manufac- 
turing. The  formation  of  the  space  is  such  that  this  power  can  be  used  to  the 
greatest  advantage  to  the  series  of  parallel  canals  arising  from  one  into  the  other, 
giving,  as  now  proposed,  a  possibility  of  enlargement — a  series  of  canals  each  one 
about  22  feet  head  and  fall.  In  other  words,  we  have  there  at  the  lowest  stage 
of  the  water  at  the  Mohawk  10,000  horse  power,  which,  being  supplemented  by 
steam,  can  be  extended  many  fold. 

In  speaking  of  the  capacities  of  this  place,  I  am  not  doing  it  for  the  purpose  of 
advertising  Cohoes,  but  as  an  illustration  of  a  principle  which  I  bhall  presently 
speak  of.  # 

We  have  one  cotton  mill  there  which  uses  30,000  bales  of  cotton  per  year,  mak- 
ing 80,000.000  yards  of  cloth,  using  4,000  tons  of  coal  per  year,  and  making  a  ton- 
nage in  a  year  of  20,000  tons.  We  have  about  thirty  knitting  mills,  having,  as 
will  be  understood  by  persons  who  are  acquainted  with  that  style  of  manufacture, 
240  sets,  producing  1,300  dozen  of  underwear  of  shirts  and  drawers  per  year,  or 
15,600  of  these  garments.    The  tonnage  from  this  is  equal  to  25,600  tons. 

This  is  germane  to  the  subject  under  consideration  to  some  extent.  I  will  not 
present  the  claims  of  Cohoes  and  its  interest  in  this  project  in  the  same  line  as 
was  offered  in  the  case  of  Troy  to-day,  by  including  the  cities  and  villages  within 
5  miles  of  us.  This  with  the  25,000  people  that  live  within  our  limits  would  give 
us  125,000,  who  are  all  more  or  less  interested  in  manufacturing.  That  would 
have  very  little  interest  for  this  committee:  but  I  present  the  subject  as  a  new 
phase  of  thought,  it  seems  to  me,  because  I  am  surprised  that  neither  from  Troy 
or  Albany  has  there  been  any  presentation  of  the  local  industries  of  the  place,  and 
yet  in  this  valley  from  Albany  to  Cohoes  there  are  scores  of  thousands  of  people 
engaged  in  manufacturing — active  producers  of  value,  who  give  value  to  raw 
products,  the  greater  part  of  which  consists  in  the  labor  that  is  given  to  them. 
They  are  the  people  who  take  a  pound  of  cotton  and  from  it  make  4  yards  of  cot- 
ton cloth  that  are  sent  to  the  markets  of  the  world,  and  which  represents  not 
only  the  raw  cotton  that  has  gone  through  there,  but  the  toil  and  labor  of  a  great 
many  men.  Such  an  industry  is  a  well-recognized  part  of  commerce.  Perhaps 
I  may  be  charged  with  being  selfish  when  speaking  of  the  industries  of  Cohoes, 
but  that  is  a  feature  that  is  not  ignored  in  the  passage  of  other  bills — the  river 
and  harbor  bills,  for  instance,  where  the  benefit  to  localities  is  always  taken  into 
consideration.  Why  not  here?  Why  not,  if  you  find  in  Troy  one  establish- 
ment employing  135  men,  not  women  and  children,  but  stalwart  men.  engaged 
in  turning  out  the  products  of  iron.    And  there  are  thousands  and  thousands 


46 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


of  others.  Although  Cohoes  may  be  a  small  thing,  I  say  that  it  serves  as  an 
illustration  of  the  manufacturing-  interests  in  this  part  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  in  regard  to  this  proposed  improvement.  It  is  well  that  we  should  look 
with  enlarged  view  upon  the  demands  that  are  made  of  us  as  citizens  of  the  State 
of  New  York,  and  above  all.  as  citizens  of  the  United  States,  by  furnishing  a 
water  way  that  shall  extend  from  the  harbor  of  New  York  to  the  great  chain  of 
lakes  on  the  West,  and  that  we  should  be  able  to  see  vessels  coming  up  in  one 
grand  procession  that  shall  lead  the  world.  But  we  don't  want  to  sit  idly  by  on 
the  banks  of  that  stream  and  look  at  those  overflowing  products.  While  these 
streams  of  wheat  and  corn  are  running  by  us,  what  are  we  going  to  do  with  our 
water  power,  where  the  water  goes  on  and  flows  forever,  containing  the  elements 
of  prosperity.  It  will  not  do  for  us  to  neglect  these  thing! — industries  that: are 
such  an  important  part  of  this  country.  Cohoes  is  a  little  place  in  comparison 
with  other  places,  but  remember  that  around  it  and  its  25.000  people  the  armies 
of  Washington,  Rensselaer,  and  Saratoga  are  bringing  in,  not  corn  and  wheat, 
but  other  things  that  are  very  important  to  the  country.  That  is  something 
that  is  worthy  of  being  considered.  Not  only  the  commercial  interests  are  to 
be  regarded,  but  the  manufacturing  interests  as  well. 

I  wish  that  I  had  ths  statistics  to  present  to  you  of  the  manufacturing  inter- 
est of  our  locality — not  only  in  the  tonnage  that  it  gives  to  the  Hudson  River, 
but  in  regard  to  the  market  which  it  affords  and  the  benefit  which  accrues  to  the 
surrounding  country,  reaching  I  do  not  know  how  far.  God  hasten  the  time 
when  we  shall  see  ocean  steamers  anchored  in  front  of  the  streets  of  Troy  and  the 
streets  of  Cohoes  also.  I  should  ask  the  committee  to  go  3  or  4  miles  further  and 
reach  Cohoes  and  Waterford,  at  an  insignificant  additional  expense,  but  I  sup- 
pose that  that  is  not  within  the  resolution.  I  tell  you,  there  is  something  com- 
ing into  that  stream  besides  ocean  steamers.  They  are  the  small  steamers  and 
barges  of  these  various  means  of  transportation  that  are  coming  alongside  of  the 
ocean  steamers.  And  not  only  in  number  but  in  value  will  they  outweigh  the 
ocean  steamers.  We  can  not  tell  the  farmers  of  this  State  to  sit  on  the  banks  of 
the  canal  and  see  the  wheat  and  the  corn  going  by  them  to  the  New  York  market, 
and  say  to  them,  "  What  a  glorious  thing,  this  inland  transportation  is."'  It  has 
been  wisely  said  that  every  facility  that  is  added  to  transportation  adds  to  pro- 
duction. And  it  is  true.  The  gentleman  from  Duluth  said  that  every  inch  that 
you  added  to  the  water  in  depth  adds  to  the  facilities,  and  in  that  way  everything  is 
cheapened.  The  farmer  will  feel  it.  If  Cohoes  shall  be  afforded  facilities  for 
bringing  cheap  coal  and  ore  to  its  banks,  1£  miles  long,  then,  I  tell  you,  that 
100,000  of  her  population  will  reach  out  their  arms  to  gather  in  the  varied  prod- 
ucts of  the  farmers  of  New  York.  She  has  the  natural  facilities  for  all  this. 
But.  remember,  this  is  only  an  illustration.  On  the  other  side  of  the  river,  5  or 
6  miles,  there  is  Waterford,  and  further  up  are  to  be  found  Syracuse  and  Roches- 
ter and  others.  All  of  us  are  to  see  these  vessels  going  past  us.  But  are  we  to 
recsive  our  share  ?  Oh,  no.  It  has  been  said  that  the  introduction  of  machinery 
would  enable  one  man  to  do  what  was  formerly  done  by  three.  The  farmers  here 
don't  have  the  fruits  of  their  labor.  On  the"  broad  savannahs  of  the  West  they 
reap  that  advantage  but  what  are  we  going  to  do,  on  the  hills  where  this  ma- 
chinery can't  come  into  play  ?  It  is  an  important  market,  that  has  got  to  be  cre- 
ated to  make  up  the  wealth  and  prosperity  of  the  State,  and,  therefore,  I  present 
this  little  city  of  Cohoes  as  an  object  lesson  as  to  what  is  due  to  the  farming  and 
manufacturing  interests;  not  only  the  factories  around  here,  but  those  which 
reach  into  Vermont  and  New  Hampshire,  where  they  go  into  the  mountains  for 
the  rich  marble  for  the  mansion  and  the  statuary,  which  is  to  be  taken  to  Lake 
Champlain  and  put  into  its  vessels  along  this  highway.  Whose  place  is  it  to 
do  all  this  ?  I  will  not  enlarge  in  this  regard.  The  State  has  done  much.  The 
State  is  willing  to  do  much,  but  to  the  United  States  Government  belongs  also 
this  duty. 

Mr.  Chairman,  the  rivers  run  toward  the  sea.  but  the  sea  is  not  yet  full.  Why? 
It  is  because  the  grand,  glorious  old  sun,  with  his  bright  arms  reaching  down 
silently  but  powerfully,  takes  up  that  which  the  rivers  and  the  streams  have  given 
and  brings  it  back  once  more  and  disseminates  it,  giving  peace  and  prosperity 
over  the  land,  and  so  the  eternal  process  from  the  Eternal  God  goes  on,  and  will 
go  on  until  the  children  of  earth  shall  be  no  more.  To  me  it  seems  that  the  Gen- 
eral Government  stands  in  relation  to  that  power.  Stream  after  stream,  little 
rivulet  and  mighty  river,  are  pouring  their  abundance  into  our  national  coffers. 
L^t  the  National  Government  stand  in  the  place  of  that  grand  power.  Not  with 
demonstration,  not  with  force,  but  let  it  be  like  the  sunlight — quiet,  unfelt,  un- 
s  en,  but  with  almighty  power,  taking  up  the  benefits  and  bringing  them  back 
until  they  shall  be  an  all-pervading  blessing,  and  give  prosperity  to  the  whole 
country. 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


47 


WILLIAM  E.  CLEARY. 
LPresident  of  the  Canal-Boat  Owners'  Association  of  the  State  of  New  York.] 

Gentleman,  this  call  upon  me  is  unexpected.  I  just  arrived  here  a  moment 
ago j  to  see  what  was  being  done,  and  had  no  intention  of  saying  anything  to  this 
committee.  There  are  gentlemen  here  from  all  parts  of  the  State  who  could  abun- 
dantly lay  the  case  before  you  a  great  deal  better  than  I  could,  but  having  been 
called  upon  to  represent  the  Canal-Boat  Owners'  Association,  I  suppose  I  can  not 
do  better  than  to  agree  in  all  that  Mr.  Burleigh  of  Whitehall  has  said. 

It  seems  that  the  water  wrays  of  this  country  are  not  developed  entirely  as  they 
should  be.  Mr.  Burleigh  mentioned  one  mattter  that  I  might  call  your  attention 
to  as  a  very  pregnant  point,  that  the  State  of  New  York  seems  to  be  to  blame 
for  this.  We  have  held  canal  conventions  for  the  improvement  of  the  canals, 
and  a  great  many  of  us  have  opposed  United  States  governmental  aid.  believing 
that  it  would  be  too  slow,  and  that  the  State  itself  would  take  hold  of  the  thing 
quicker  and  cause  the  immediate  improvement  of  the  water  ways.  But  it  seems 
that  there  must  be  a  spirit  of  false  economy  and  parsimony  pervading  the  whole 
State,  and  that  they  will  not  spend  the  money  for  that  which  is  necessary  for  the 
State,  but  are  willing  to  spend  it  in  decorations  and  in  useless  things  that  are  not 
capable  of  bringing  the  same  prosperity  to  the  State  as  the  improvement  of  its 
water  ways. 

I,  for  one,  am  ready  to  join  with  you  and  to  join  with  the  people  of  the  North- 
west. That  is  where  the  grain  comes  from,  and  the  people  out  there  need  this 
water  way  fully  as  much  as  the  people  of  the  State  of  New  York  do.  They  are 
probably  willing  to  dig  out  and  enlarge  the  water  way.  That  seems  to  be  the 
most  natural  course,  in  order  that  their  commerce  may  reach  tne  seaboard  as 
cheaply  as  possible,  so  that  it  may  be  laid  down  in  other  lands  in  competition 
with  grain  from  other  ports  of  the  world.  I  think  with  the  gentlemen,  that  the 
United  States  could  be  engaged  in  no  better  business  for  the  prosperity  of  its 
whole  people,  regardless  of  State  lines,  than  in  digging  out  and  increasing  the 
water  facilities  of  the  whole  country. 

Therefore  I  may  say,  as  representing  the  canal-boat  men,  that  I  am  in  favor  of 
anything,  or  any  method  that  will  increase  the  water  ways,  deepen  them,  and 
make  them  capable  of  carrying  more  goods. 

Now,  to  speak  of  the  place  where  Mr.  Burleigh  came  from — the  Champlain 
Valley.  I  own  some  barges  that  were  built  in  Lake  Champlain  because  labor  was 
cheaper  there  than  in  New  York  and  the  surrounding  country.  I  had  them 
brought  down  to  New  York.  They  brought  150  tons  all  the  way  through.  In 
New  York  Harbor  those  same  boats  carry  400  tons  of  soft  coal  from  docks  and  de- 
liver it  alongside  of  ocean  steamers.  That  is  a  good,  fair  illustration  of  what 
deep  water  will  do.  These  boats  can  only  carry  150  tons  through  this  little  water 
way,  but  that  is  owing  to  the  lack  of  public  spirit  of  the  people,  and  to  that  false 
argument  that  originates  with  people  who  desire  to  be  considered  champions  of 
the  farmers,  but  who  are  simply  foolish  advocates  and  injurious  to  the  State. 

That  is  a  good  illustration  of  what  may  be  done  by  deepening  other  streams. 
Nature  gave  us  the  water  way  ;  man  built  the  railroads.  WTherever  water  comes 
in  competition  with  railroads  for  heavy  freight,  for  unmanufactured  articles,  it 
can  hold  its  own,  and  it  is  just  as  beneficial  and  more  so  than  the  railroads.  If 
there  were  such  corporations"  as  the  New  York  Central  or  the  Pennsylvania  Kail- 
road  in  direct  competition  with  the  Erie  and  the  Champlain  canals,  does  any  one 
suppose  that  they  would  lie  there  neglected  ?  Many  efforts  have  been  made  by 
men  in  our  business  to  induce  the  legislature  to  help  matters.  Men  have  come 
here  to  Albany  to  beg  for  appropriations  to  improve  the  water  ways.  What 
would  the  cost  amount  to  ?  As  was  said  here,  it  would  be  about  18  cents  on  $100. 
Each  farm  would  have  to  pay  about  a  dozen  of  eggs  as  its  share  of  the  money  re- 
quired. All  the  prosperity  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn  and  all  the  other  cities 
means  lf»ss  taxation  to  the  individual. 

I  only  call  your  attention  to  these  facts  to  show  you  that  we  are  worthy  of  re- 
ceiving this  improvement  from  the  Government,  and  hope  that  you  gentlemen 
will  recommend. 

HON.  WM.  F.  TEFFT. 
[Of  Whitehall,  N.  Y.] 

May  it  please  the  gentlemen  of  the  Commission  and  gentlemen  of  this  conven- 
tion, I  almost  feel  in  attempting  to  prolong  this  discussion,  that  I  should  justify 
the  retort  that  was  made  to  me  in  suggesting  that  the  diet  of  the  people  of  White- 
wall  was  brass. 


48 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


So  much  has  been  said  in  this  discussion  that  it  seems  almost  superfluous  to 
attempt  to  say  anything-  more  or  to  touch  upon  any  lines  of  argument  or  discus- 
sion that  has  not  already  been  thoroughly  exhausted. 

There  are  two  things,  however, which  I  address  to  this  Commission  which  have 
not  been  touched  upon  by  any  of  the  able  gentlemen  who  have  addressed  it. 

As  I  understood  the  work  of  this  Commission  as  stated  by  the  chairman,  it  was 
to  ascertain  and  determine  whether  the  aid  of  the  United  States  Government 
should  be  invoked  in  the  completion  and  working  of  this  improvement  of  the 
navigation  of  the  Hudson  River.  The  point,  therefore,  which  is  to  be  argued 
before  this  committee  probably  is  the  consideration  of  whether  this  great  work, 
which  is  conceded  by  all  to  be  so  important  and  so  beneficial,  should  be  under- 
taken at  the  expense  of  the  United  States  Government  instead  of  at  the  expense 
of  the  State;  for  the  Hudson  River,  notwithstanding  the  burden  of  commerce 
which  it  bears  to  the  sea,  lies  wholly,  entirely,  and  exclusively  within  the  State 
of  New  York.  It  would  seem,  therefore,  at  first  sight,  that  whatever  is  to  be 
done  in  the  improvement  of  the  navigation  of  the  river,  to  increase  its  capacity, 
should  be  the  work  of  the  people  of  our  own  State,  and  that  this  improvement  is 
a  matter  of  unconcern  and  indifference  to  the  people  of  other  States  in  the  great 
commonwealth  of  States  which  makes  us  a  nation. 

Now,  the  point  we  urge  is  that  we  are  to  justify  this  Commission  in  its  report 
on  this  improvement  in  recommending  to  the  General  Government  and  to  Con- 
gress an  appropriation  of  money  by  the  United  States  to  improve  the  navigation 
of  the  channel  of  this  river  which  is  entirely  within  the  borders  of  one  State.  I 
will  say  right  here  that  the  importance  of  the  improvement  which  is  projected 
is  so  great,  that  were  it  only  to  be  done  by  the  State  government,  and  only  by 
the  State  in  whose  borders  it  lies,  that  the  people  of  that  Commonwealth  would 
be  justified  in  expending  all  that  would  be  necessary  to  complete  the  work  pro- 
jected. 

The  question,  therefore,  presents  itself  from  a  double  aspect  on  this  point  alone. 
It  is  important  to  the  State  and  it  is  important  to  the  nation.  Were  this  a  con- 
vention composed  entirely  of  citizens  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  we  were 
considering  whether  the  finances  of  this  State  should  be  expended  toward  the 
perfection  of  this  improvement,  I  could  make  an  argument  that  would  at  least 
satisfy  myself  as  to  the  sufficiency  of  its  importance  to  justify  the  expenditure,  by 
the  State  alone,  of  the  large  sum  of  money  that  would  be  necessary  to  perfect  it. 
But  we  are  considering  the  question  of  United  States  aid,  and  therefore  we  are 
to  consider  the  question  not  as  to  its  importance  to  the  State  alone,  not  as  to  its 
importance  to  localities  alone,  not  for  its  benefits  to  the  people  of  Albany  and 
the  people  of  Troy  and  the  people  of  Cohoes,  or  to  the  people  of  the  State  all  the 
way  from  Albany  to  Buffalo,  but  we  are  to  consider  whether  it  is  of  sufficient 
benefit  and  importance  to  the  people  of  the  entire  nation  to  justify  the  expendi- 
ture by  the  Federal  Government. 

It  has  been  suggested  here  very  properly  that,  in  view  of  the  expenditures  of 
the  Federal  Government,  it  was  at  first  contemplated  and  understood  that  the 
commerce  of  the  West  to  the  East  would  be  by  the  way  of  the  Ohio  and  Missis- 
sippi rivers.  And  therefore  the  attention  of  the  Federal  Government  to  the  im- 
provement of  navigation  was  directed  to  the  improvement  of  those  streams 
mainly.  So  great  was  the  importance  of  the  Mississippi  River  deemed  to  the 
people  of  the  Northwest  that  it  was  used  as  a  lever  by  the  people  of  the  South 
by  which  they  would  be  enabled  to  compel  the  Northwest  to  join  with  them  in  their 
attempt  to  separate  themselves  from  the  United  States  Government.  "  For," 
they  said,  "the  Mississippi  River  is  the  great  avenue  and  the  great  outlet  for  your 
commerce,  and  therefore,  as  we  hold  the  mouth  of  it,  you  must  go  with  us  so 
that  your  commerce  can  flow  unvexed  to  the  sea."  The  people  of  the  Northwest 
said  :  "We  can  see  all  that  you  say  in  regard  to  the  importance  to  us  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi River,  and  therefore  we  will  force  our  way  with  bayonets  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Mississippi  River,  and  no  power  of  Government,  foreign  or  domestic,  shall 
inferfere  with  the  flow  of  the  commerce  of  the  Northwest  to  the  Gulf."  And  so 
they  kept  their  word,  and  the  regiments  of  the  great  Northwest  forced  their  way 
from  the  West  to  the  Gulf  with  their  lines  of  bayonets.  The  Mississippi  River 
was  indeed  closed,  but  did  it  stop  the  flow  of  traffic  and  commerce  from  the  West 
to  the  East  because  navigation  was  obstructed  ?  No.  It  found  another  outlet, 
and  then  the  importance  of  the  canal  system  of  the  State  of  New  York  and  this 
Hudson  River,  on  whose  banks  we  live,  was  demonstrated  and  revealed  to  the 
people  of  the  Northwest,  and  they  saw  that  their  avenue  of  commerce  was  not 
the  Ohio  River,  not  the  Mississippi  River,  but  the  system  which  terminates  at 
New  York  City  through  the  State  of  New  York. 


HUDSON  RIVER.  49 

That  was  the  beginning  of  the  realization  of  the  importance  of  the  canal  system 
of  the  State  of  New  York  and  the  Hudson  River  to  the  people  and  the  commerce 
of  the  Northwest. 

Now,  then,  what  has  been  the  result  ?  Why,  the  result  was  that  the  transpor- 
tation of  cereals  from  the  United  States  to  Europe  was  then  developed. 

Do  you  realize  within  how  comparatively  a  short  time  this  great  commerce 
which  is  so  extensive  and  for  which  the  figures  have  been  given  here  has  found 
its  way  through  the  State  of  New  York  and  down  the  river  to  the  harbor  of  New 
York  and  from  there  to  the  rest  of  the  globe?  It  is  all  within  thirty  years — since 
1860. 

Now,  then,  what?  The  State  of  New  York  is  brought  into  relations  with  the 
Northwest,  as  New  Orleans  was  brought  into  relations  with  it  previous  to  the 
war.  And  it  is  found  that  the  commerce  of  the  cereals  of  the  West  must  find  its 
outlets  to  the  markets  of  the  world  through  New  York.  These  are  the  reasons, 
gentlemen  of  the  Commission  and  gentlemen  of  the  convention,  why  this  improve- 
ment is  a  national  concern.  It  does  not  affect  the  people  of  the  State  of  New 
York  alone.  The  commerce  that  flows  through  the  Erie  Canal  and  flows  through 
the  Hudson  River,  that  comes  from  the  Champlain  Canal,  and  from  every  infini- 
tesimal part  of  it,  is  through  the  State  of  New  York.  It  is  the  products  of  the 
West  and  the  Northwest  that  comes  through  our  water  ways  which  enables  us  to 
say  to-day  that  the  commerce  which  flows  through  the  Hudson  River  is  one-half 
greater  than  that  of  all  the  other  rivers  of  the  common  country. 

That  is  why  this  improvement  is  an  international,  an  interstate,  affair.  That 
is  why  this  Commission  will  be  warranted  in  saying  to  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment that  this  thing  does  not  concern  the  State  of  New  York  alone.  It  concerns 
all  the  States  of  the  West — Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  Iowa,  Minnesota, 
the  Dakotas,  and  all  the  States  which  have  recently  come  into  the  Union.  It  is 
to  benefit  them  as  well.  It  is  to  benefit  every  State  through  which  and  on  whose 
borders  this  commerce  is  carried,  and  it  is  that  which  makes  it  of  such  national 
moment  and  concern. 

Now,  that  is  my  first  point.  Understand  me.  It  is  because  it  develops  and 
furnishes  an  outlet  for  the  products  of  the  great  States  of  the  West  and  of  the 
Northwest. 

Now,  then,  the  affair  goes  beyond  even  the  United  States.  It  now  becomes  a 
matter  of  international  importance.  I  said  that  it  was  within  only  thirty  years, 
comparatively,  that  the  cereals  of  the  West  and  the  Northwest  have  found  a 
European  market. 

Gentlemen,  what  is  the  problem  of  the  whole  civilized  world  to-day  ?  It  is  one 
which  interests  gentlemen  of  your  profession.  The  whole  engineering  profession 
of  the  world  is  taxed  to  the  uttermost  to  find  new  ways  of  communication,  new 
means  of  transportation,  to  cheapen  the  products  which  feed  mankind.  It  is  for 
this  that  the  Suez  Canal  was  put  through  the  Isthmus  of  Suez.  It  is  the  reason 
that  the  Nicaragua  Canal  is  to  be  put  in  to  connect  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  with  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  The  object  is  to  shorten  the  time  of  transportation  and  to  cheapen 
transportation. 

Let  us  see  how  that  affects  this  question.  First,  we  have  natural  water  ways. 
We  have  the  rivers  and  we  have  the  little  barges.  There  was  a  time  when  the 
communication  between  Staten  Island  and  New  York  City  was  by  the  ferry  boat  ^ 
Commodore  Vanderbilt .  We  have  these  natural  water  ways,  and  barges  and  boats 
and  vessels  that  were  propelled  by  hand.  Then  we  had  the  canal  and  the  small 
canal  boat.  Then  we  had  the  railway  age.  As  has  been  stated  to-day,  the  an- 
nual railroad  mileage  built  all  over  the  globe  at  the  present  time  is  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  50,000  miles,  and  more  than  half  of  it  is  within  the  United  States. 
We  have,  then,  this  mode  of  communication.  Now  what?  We  have  to  dimin- 
ish the  railroad  communication  if  it  is  not  cheap  enough.  Then,  what  is  there 
to  do  ?  Transporting  bulk.  That  was  the  argument  in  the  statistics  which  were 
so  ably  and  clearly  presented  by  the  gentleman  from  Duluth.  When  it  was  found 
that  the  transportation  by  the  large  lake  craft,  as  compared  with  the  railroad, 
was  as  one  to  twenty-six ;  that  is  to  say,  if  you  move  the  same  bulk  of  traffic  by 
the  railroad  it  calls  for  twenty-six  times  as  much  as  to  move  it  by  the  large  lake 
craft.  That  is  where  the  problem  is  coming  now.  It  is  to  have  large  water 
crafts,  and  that  is  why  it  is  proposed  to  make  the  Hudson  River  an  arm  of  the 
sea.  so  that  these  large  crafts  can  come  up  from  the  city  of  New  York  to  the  city 
of  Albany,  or  the  city  of  Troy,  or  to  whatever  point  it  shall  be  deemed  advis- 
able by  this  Board  to  recommend  to  the  Government. 

Mr  Welles  states,  in  his  series  of  articles  in  the  Popular  Science  Monthly, 
that,  when  they  first  built  the  Suez  Canal,  they  built  in  steamers  of  1,000  tons 
II-  Ex.  29  37 


50 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


burden.  In  two  years  they  put  in  vessels  of  2,000  tons,  and  then  vessels  of  3,000 
tons,  and  those  are  the  vessels  which  to-day  navigate  the  Suez  Canal. 

That  is  the  problem.  It  is  to  extend  these  water  ways  out  as  far  as  possible, 
and  to  have  as  many  as  possible  of  these  large  water  craft  as  can  be  navigated,  to 
carry  the  products. 

One  gentleman  said  here:  "What  would  Great  Britain  do  if  it  owned  this 
State?"  What  is  Great  Britain,  or  a  portion  of  that  island,  doing  now?  It  is 
building  a  ship  canal  from  Liverpool  to  Manchester :  spending  millions  of  dol- 
lars to  make  a  ship  canal  between  those  two  cities  that  were  already  connected  by 
water,  and  already,  it  would  seem,  sufficiently  connected  by  rail.  Why?  To 
make  that  30  miles  of  navigation  navigable  by  ocean-going  vessels.  They 
thought  they  should  not  stop  at  Liverpool,  but  should  go  to  Manchester. 

How  does  that  matter  bear  on  the  question  before  us?  Here,  again,  comes  in 
the  figures  of  the  gentleman  from  Duluth,  or  perhaps  it  was  another  gentleman 
who  submitted  a  paper  showing  statements  of  facts  as  represented  by  the  census 
at  the  present  time.  In  what  direction  was  the  growth  of  the  country  to-day  ? 
He  stated  that  it  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  lakes.    There  we  have  it. 

What,  then,  is  the  problem  ?  It  is  to  make  your  water  communication  where 
this  growth  of  population  is,  and  increase  the  production  by  making  a  continu- 
ous water  way  from  the  tail  end  of  the  lakes  to  the  sea. 

This  improvement  is  one  step  in  that  direction. 

Seventeen  or  eighteen  years  ago  this  winter,  standing  in  my  place  in  the  as- 
sembly of  this  State,  I  asserted  the  prediction  that  the  time  would  come  when 
Duluth  would  be  a  larger  point  of  grain  distribution  than  Chicago.  I  have  lived 
to  see  it.  The  statistics  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  city  of  Duluth 
show  that  more  grain  was,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1890,  sent  from  Duluth  than 
was  sent  from  the  city  of  Chicago. 

Where  is  that  grain-producing  area  going  ?  Where  is  it  developing  ?  It  is 
continually  going  to  the  northwest.  It  has  gone  out  of  Ohio,  gone  out  of  Illi- 
nois, gone  out  of  Wisconsin,  largely  going  out  of  Minnesota,  and  is  going  into  the 
Dakotas.  and  into  Wyoming;  going,  as  one  gentleman  stated  to-day,  up  to  the 
Valley  of  the  North,  and  up  the  Saskatchewan.  Therefore,  in  any  statements 
which  may  be  made  as  to  the  grain-producing  area  of  the  United  States,  refer- 
ence must  be  made  to  these  facts.  It  is  continually  going  to  the  northwest ;  go- 
ing down  the  lakes;  and  the  problem  now  is,  to  find  the  shortest  way  to  get  the 
grain  from  the  lakes  to  the  seaboard. 

If  you  look  at  the  map  you  can  find  that  you  can  go  through  the  lakes  and  go 
down  the  Oswego  Canal,  and  so  to  Albany.  It  is  a  great  step  to  bring  the  ocean 
up  to  Albany;  your  shortening  your  line  of  communication  150  miles  and  in- 
creasing the  capacity  of  your  craft.  By  and  by  the  question  will  be.  supposing 
this  improvement  to  be  consummated,  whether  you  will  go  from  Lake  Ontario 
down  to  Albany  with  a  ship  canal,  or  whether  you  will  go  down  the  St.  Law- 
rence, and  come  across  the  Lake  Champlain,  and  so  down  the  Champlain  Valley. 
But  whatever  system  is  devised  by  which  the  grain-producing  area  of  this  coun- 
try is  to  be  connected  with  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  it  must  be  with  some  system  that 
connects  with  the  lakes.  The  engineering  capacity  of  this  country  will  speedily 
determine  the  easiest  and  cheapest,  the  most  economical  way  of  making  that 
navigation;  and  when  that  time  shall  come,  I,  as  a  resident  of  the  Champlain 
Valley,  have  no  doubt  where  the  line  will  be  laid. 

The  first  step,  however,  is  this  subject  of  improving  the  navigation  of  the 
Hudson  River  as  far  as  Troy.  And  I  now  come  to  the  second  point  which  will 
be  embraced  in  the  report  of  this  Commission — whether  you  should  extend  this 
proposed  improvement  to  the  city  of  Troy?  I  say  by  all  means  recommend  that. 
The  local  commerce  has  already  been  explained,  but  it  is  necessary  for  the  com- 
merce of  the  Erie  Canal  to  go  to  Troy  in  view  of  the  further  extension  and  de- 
velopment of  this  work  in  connection  with  the  work  which  I  have  already  sug- 
gested from  the  northern  lakes. 

There  is  still  another  consideration .  I  have  said  that  the  grain-exporting  com- 
merce of  this  country  has  developed  within  the  last  thirty  years.  That  is  true. 
And  it  has  had  such  an  effect  on  the  growth  of  the  West  and  the  Northwest  that 
it  has  excited  the  envy  of  all  the  nations  of  the  earth.  Not  only  that,  but  also 
the  cheapness  of  our  products,  and  of  our  transportation.  The  comparatively 
low  cost  at  which  a  cargo  of  grain  or  flour  can  be  transported  from  the  Dakotas 
to  England  has  led  men  to  inquire  whether  it  can  be  produced  even  cheaper  in 
other  places.  What  is  the  effect?  Three  men,  as  stated  by  Mr.  Welles,  can 
produce  and  lay  down  in  Liverpool  for  less  than  the  rental  of  the  ground  in 
England  necessary  to  produce  that  amount  of  wheat.    Other  milieus  have  seen 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


51 


this,  and  they  are  moving  heaven  and  earth  to  compete  with  this  country  to 
supply  the  grain  market  of  Europe.  Even  Egypt  is  coming-  up  out  of  the  cen- 
turies of  degradation  to  compete  with  our  market.  England  has  extended  her  rail- 
ways into  India  to  see  if  they  can  not  produce  wheat  at  a  trifle  less  than  can  he 
done  in  the  United  States. 

Reference  has  been  made  to  the  Argentine  Republic.  Capitalists  of  England 
have  embarrassed  themselves  in  loading  up  with  the  securities  of  that  Republic, 
to  see  if  they  can  not  compete  with  the  United  States,  and  lessen  the  supply  of 
wheat  that  is  obtained  from  this  country. 

And  so  it  is  all  over  the  globe.  A  difference  of  a  quarter  of  a  cent  a  bushel  de- 
cides the  source  of  supply  of  the  food  of  the  nations  of  Europe. 

Now,  having  this  thing  in  view,  everything  that  diminishes  the  cost  of  trans- 
portation and  of  production,  even  to  the  most  infinitesimal  degree,  is  a  matter  of 
national  importance,  and  it  should  be  talren  into  account. 

I  need  not  refer  the  distinguished  gentlemen  of  this  Board  to  the  engineering 
problems  that  are  asked  to  be  solved  to  shorten  communication  through  the  lakes. 
Reference  has  been  made  to  the  commerce  of  the  Detroit  River  and  the  St.  Clair 
Falls.  There  is  now,  and  you  gentlemen  are  more  familiar  with  the  fact  than  I 
am.  and  can  tell  me  of  it,  rather  than  that  I  should  suggest  it  to  you,  a  system 
of  ship  railways  whereby  a  large  corner  in  the  system  of  the  Great  Lakes  is  to  be 
cut  off.  Everything  is  being  done.  I  need  not  refer  you  to  the  ship  railway  that 
is  being  built  in  Nova  Scotia  so  as  to  shorten  the  route  and  cheapen  the  cost  of 
production.  I  only  mention  it  so  as  to  suggest  to  this  convention  how  the  minds 
of  statesmen  and  engineers  and  the  commercial  men  and  the  men  of  business  of 
the  whole  world  have  been  turned  to  the  question  of  producing  and  transporting 
the  products  of  the  earth  at  the  very  minimum  of  cost. 

Having  these  views  in  my  mind,  and  having  these  facts  and  conclusions  here, 
it  seems  to  me  criminal  that  this  development  should  not  be  undertaken.  I  can 
not  conceive  of  the  tendency  of  the  people  of  this  country  to  antagonize  works  of 
internal  improvement.  I  look  at  other  nations  and  see  them  expending  millions 
of  money,  tunneling  the  Alps  and  cutting  down  mountains  and  excavating  isth- 
muses at  narrow  intervals  to  connect  seas,  and  doing  everything  to  hasten  com- 
munication and  cheapen  production,  and  I  see  the  people  of  this  Empire  State,  a 
State  of  5,000,000  inhabitants,  sit  supinely  and  view  their  water  ways  with  in- 
difference. Their  advantages  of  situation  are  such  that  the  stream  of  commerce 
can  not  go  around  them  if  they  only  develop  it,  and  I  tell  you  that  in  this  age  of 
engineering  ability,  nothing  is  impossible.  The  streams  of  commerce  which  flow 
to  our  borders  from  the  remote  corners  of  the  West,  which  has  so  greatly  enlarged, 
and  which  has  made  us  so  wealthy,  can  greatly  be  increased.  From  St.  Johns 
in  Nova  Scotia,  ip  Newport  News,  and  to  Savannah,  every  nerve  is  strained  to  get 
control  of  the  magnificent  commerce  of  the  Northwest.  Busy  brains  are  plot- 
ting, and  busy  hands  are  engaged  in  the  work  of  bringing  the  communication  of 
the  Northwest  within  their  reach  so  as  to  control  the  production. 

New  York  has  hitherto  been  the  Empire  State,  because  it  has  been  able  to  con- 
trol its  commerce.  New  York  City  has  been  the  metropolis  of  this  country,  be- 
cause of  her  harbor,  and  of  her  nearness  to  the  sea.  Do  you  realize,  gentlemen, 
that  there  was  a  time  in  the  history  of  this  country  when  Newport  was  a  larger 
city  than  New  York?  There  was  such  a  time,  because  Newport,  on  account  of 
her  harbor,  and  her  communications,  and  her  intercourse  with  the  West  Indies, 
and  controlling  a  larger  area  than  New  York,  was  a  larger  city  than  New  York, 
and  bade  fair  to  be  a  larger  city  than  New  York  and  Boston  to-day.  There  was  a 
time  when  Philadelphia  was  that. 

Now,  if  you  take  the  commerce  of  the  Northwest  by  the  Erie  Canal  ;  when  you 
can  take  the  commerce  of  Canada  by  the  Champlain  Canal :  then  you  distribute 
the  area  of  your  rivals  and  become  the  metropolis  of  the  western  continent. 

If  New  York  would  be  the  Empire  State  of  the  western  continent,  it  must  be 
beeause  she  can  reach  out  her  hands  across  the  lakes  and  across  the  prairies  to 
the  grain  fields  of  Dakota,  and  Minnesota,  and  Wyoming,  and  the  Red  River 
Valley  of  the  North,  and  flux  them  and  bring  them  within  her  borders.  As  soon 
as  she  can  do  this,  she  will  be  the  Empire  State.  When  she  ceases  to  do  this, 
her  decline  will  have  begun. 

COL.  FURMAN. 
[Of  Schenectady,  N.  Y.l 

Mr.  Chairman  and  gentleman  of  the  Committee,  I  have  just  arrived  here, 
and  did  not  know  that  I  would  be  called  upon  to  speak,  but  the  question  be- 
fore the  committee  is,  what  benefit  is  to  be  derived  to  the  State  by  deepening  the 


52 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


Hudson  River?  Now,  we  are  only  to  judge  the  future  by  the  pas4 .  In  the  early 
days  our  fathers  went  to  work  and  built  this  Erie  Canal,  connecting  Lake  Erie 
with  the  Hudson  River.  Up  to  that  time,  the  country  was  in  its  infancy.  There 
was  no  West,  and  when  we  built  that  Erie  Canal  it  took  the  tide  of  emigration 
from  the  old  West  and  planted  it  on  the  prairies.  Illinois.  Michigan,  Indiana, 
and  Ohio  owe  their  early  existence  to  the  Erie  Canal.  We  opened  then  a  direct 
trade  with  the  West  by  way  of  the  Erie  Canal  to  the  Hudson,  and  by  the  Hudson 
to  New  York  City.  New  York  City,  as  a  gentleman  remarked  a  few  moments  ago, 
was  comparatively  a  village  to  what  it  is  now — the  great  metropolis  of  a  great 
country.  Upon  the  opening  of  that  trade  it  came  to  New  York  ;  all  the  surplus 
cereals  raised  by  the  people  on  the  prairies  they  sent  it  to  New  York,  and  received 
in  return  the  merchandise  of  the  New  York  merchants.  In  other  words,  they 
shipped  their  products  here  and  were  paid  for  them  in  merchandise.  This  in- 
creased trade  did  much  to  make  the  metropolis  what  she  is  to-day.  At  that  time 
we  were  not  a  manufacturing  locality,  nor  were  we  a  wool-raising  State. 

We  now  stand  out  as  the  Empire  State.  Where  do  we  get  our  immense  re- 
venue from  ?  Why,  much  of  it  comes  from  the  beautiful  harbor  of  New  York  City 
through  its  great  trade  with  the  West,  and  this  trade  must  certainly  be  increased 
by  this  work.  I  do  not  confine  myself  to  any  particular  locality,  but  to  my  mind, 
to  deepen  the  Hudson  River  will  bring  this  increase  about.  The  Government  has 
done  nothing  for  our  canal.  New  York  is  indebted  somewhat  to  the  Erie  Rail- 
road and  the  New  York  Central  Railroad  coming  down  from  the  Pacific  slope 
with  its  four  pteel  tracks  and  bringing  that  great  commerce  from  the  Northwest. 
These  railroads  are  certainly  entitled  to  some  of  the  credit.  But  in  order  to  take 
care  of  the  farmers  who  are  tilling  the  soil,  you  must  look  after  cheap  transporta- 
tion for  them,  if  you  want  to  protect  them. 

A  few  years  ago  the  farmers  of  the  great  West  had  to  burn  up  their  corn  be- 
cause it  did  not  pay  to  transport  it,  as  transportation  was  so  high.  When,  a  long 
while  ago,  the  Erie  Canal  was  opened  after  much  labor,  matters  were  improved, 
but  the  facilities  it  now  offers  do  not  keep  pace  with  what  we  need.  By  digging 
out  this  river  and  bringing  your  ocean  vessels  to  the  capital  of  your  State,  you 
will  change  all  this,  but  you  must  also  enlarge  your  Erie  Canal  to  Buffalo.  You 
make  it  a  ship  canal,  and  then  cargoes  can  be  placed  direct  on  the  vessels  and 
sent  right  through  to  Liverpool.  The  other  canals — the  Champlain  and  the 
Oswego — should  also  be  developed — so  complete  control  of  this  Western  commerce 
can  be  obtained.  See  what  they  are  doing  to  the  Welland  Canal.  Tuey  are 
spending  vast  sums  of  money  there.  They  are  seeking  to  so  improve  it  that  if 
we  do  not  meet  them  on  this*question,  they  will  divert  all  our  commerce  in  that 
direction.  The  English  people  are  trying  to  make  that  a  great  highway.  We 
should  look  upon  that  with  a  jealous  eye.  Shall  the  Government  come  in  and 
make  this  great  enterprise  a  success  ?  I  don't  see  why  other  States  should  not 
come  in  and  contribute  toward  it.  When  Congress  passed  a  law  to  dredge  the 
Mississippi,  the  Ohio,  and  the  Missouri,  New  York  willingly  contributed  her  share 
into  the  Treasury  of  the  nation  for  this  purpose.  A  few  years  ago  a  few  men 
succeeded  in  finding  a  way  across  the  Rocky  Mountains.  To-day  the  entire  con- 
tinent is  connected  by  railroads.  What  did  the  United  States  do  toward  the 
building  of  that  first  road?  It  g*ave  its  bonds.  The  money  borrowed  to  put  that 
great  enterprise  through  was  guaranteed  by  the  Government,  and  to  this  the 
State  of  New  York  contributed  its  share.  What  did  the  State  of  New  York  do? 
It  said,  aye.  The  Government  gave  the  road  lands  to  encourage  it,  and  what 
did  the  State  of  New  York  say  to  this?  It  said,  aye.  What  has  the  Govern- 
ment done  for  the  State  of  New  York?  It  has  spent  a  few  dollars  to  dredge  out 
the  Hudson  River.  They  spent  some  money  to  dredge  out  Hell  Gate,  and  put  a 
few  guns  into  Fort  Lafayette.  That  is  all  that  the  Government  has  done  for  New 
York,  but  New  York  has  always  come  to  the  front  in  developing  the  great  West. 
I  think  we  should  make  this  ship  canal  and  dig  out  the  bottom  of  this  river. 
You  have  got  to  command  the  great  commerce  of  the  West.  When  De  Witt 
Clinton  established  the  Erie  Canal  what  was  the  West?  It  was  almost  a  desert, 
and  compare  it  with  its  wonderful  condition  to-day.  Its  influence  is  felt  every- 
where, and  New  York  receives  great  benefit  from  it. 

It  is  not  the  princely  merchant  that  turns  the  crank  by  which  the  great 
stone  palaces  in  New  York  are  built.  It  is  the  West  that  has  done  it  through 
the  Erie  Canal,  and  the  canal  stands  there  to-day  and  it  has  hardly  been  im- 
improved.  The  age  of  electricity  is  coming,  and  progress  in  every  direction 
is  made,  but  nothing  is  done  to 'improve  our  water  ways.  Enlarge  the  Erie 
Canal  and  connect  it  with  New  York's  beautiful  harbor  and  the  inland  waters 
of  the  Great  Lakes,  and  the  mo^ey  spent  will  not  be  in  vain.    It  will  bene- 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


53 


fit  those  great  prairies  of  the  West,  to  which  is  attracted  the  emigrants  from 
other  shores.  To  my  mind  you  should  also  enlarge  and  improve  the  Mississippi 
also,  so  as  to  open  commerce  from  there  to  the  city  of  New  York.  We  are  now 
only  in  our  infancy.  Just  think  of  what  has  been  done  in  the  past  one  hundred 
years,  and  by  that  judge  what  we  will  be  in  the  time  to  come.  The  time  will 
come  when  you  will  hear  the  trip  hammer  in  the  Rockies — when  the  fertile 
lands  of  the  West  will  send  direct  across  the  waters  their  corn  and  their  wheat, 
and  bring  back  the  merchandise  of  foreign  shores.  I  do  not  think  that  Chicago 
could  have  been  the  great  city  to-day  had  it  not  been  for  the  commercial  trade  of 
the  city  of  New  York. 

I  repeat,  don't  neglect  our  commerce  and  compel  it  to  seek  other  channels 
through  Canadian  waters,  and  thus  lose  to  the  State  of  New  Yrork  the  trade 
which  properly  belongs  to  it.  By  opening  this  water  way,  we  protect  the  peo- 
ple against  high  tariff  and  high  freights.  This  is  the  least  which  ought  to  be 
done  for  the  Erie  Canal,  which  has  done  so  much.  Before  its  existence  Buffalo 
and  other  western  cities  were  nothing  but  bare  prairies  with  their  log  cabins, 
and  now  civilization  and  progress  stretch  out  to  Washington  Territory  and  Puget 
Sound,  where  even  vessels  from  China  touch  with  their  cargoes  that  are  brought 
from  there  by  the  railroad  to  New  York.  The  time  will  come  when  all  this  com- 
merce will  be  brought  to  the  city  of  New  Y'ork  by  this  Hudson  and  Erie  water 
way,  if  you  make  it  a  great  highway.  Hennepin  Canal  should  also  be  made  a 
great  highway.  There  is  no  doubt  but  it  can  be  done,  though  it  may  look  dim- 
cult.  When  the  Erie  Canal  was  projected,  there  was  great  doubt  expressed 
about  it.  It  was  treated  as  chimerical,  and  it  was  said  it  would  not  benefit  the 
State :  and  look  at  the  result !  We  have  gone  on  with  it  until  through  these  canals 
we  have  become  the  great  Empire  State  of  the  Union. 


W.  H.  CROMBIE. 

[Mayor  of  Burlington,  Vt.] 

Mr.  President  and  gentlemen,  the  subject  before  us  has  been  so  ably  and 
completely  presented  that  it  seems  idle  on  my  part  to  discuss  it  further,  but  I 
want  to  say  to  you  that  Vermont  is  deeply  interested,  and  I  am  sure  that  when 
the  proper  time  comes  you  will  have  our  earnest  and  heartiest  support.  The 
firm  with  which  I  have  been  connected  for  a  number  of  years  have  been  large 
shippers  of  lumber  to  South  America  and  other  foreign  countries.  Lumber  for 
the  South  American  market  we  have  generally  shipped  in  bond,  by  cars,  from 
Ottawa,  Canada,  to  Mystic  Wharf,  Boston,  and 'put  it  immediately  aboard  ship 
at  that  point,  paying  freight  thereon  at  the  rate  of  13  cents  per  100  in  bond,  or 
$39  per  car  of  30,000  pounds.  This  lumber  can  be  shipped  to  Albany  for  $25  per 
car  of  26.000  pounds,  and  if  the  Hudson  River  were  deepened  could  be  put  on 
board  barks  and  ships  in  Albany  and  transported  to  South  America  probably 
for  about  the  same  rate  of  freight  as  from  Boston  and  New  York. 


JOHN  H.  CHASE.  0 

[Representing  the  Rochester  Chamber  of  Commerce.] 

Gentlemen,  I  intended  to  say  a  few  words  in  the  interest  of  commerce,  but 
the  matter  has  been  so-  thoroughly  gone  over  that  all  I  need  say  is  that  this  en- 
terprise will  have  our  support. 


S.  Y.  McCLINTOCK. 

[Secretary  of  the  Rochester  (N.  Y.)  Chamber  of  Commerce.] 

Mr.  Chairman,  the  Rochester  Chamber  of  Commerce  took  such  an  interest 
in  this  matter  that  they  have  sent  a  delegation  here.  Mr.  John  H.  Chase,  the 
leading  miller  of  Rochester,  is  a  member  of  that  delegation,  as  is  also  Mr.  Brew- 
ster, the  cashier  of  the  Traders'  National  Bank  of  Rochester.  The  latter  will 
now  address  you. 


54 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


HENRY  C.  BREWSTER. 
[Of  Rochester  (N.  Y.)  Chamber  of  Commeree.l 

Gentlemen,  at  a  meeting-  of  the  Rochester  Chamber  of  Commerce  a  resolu- 
tion was  passed  favoring  the  project  of  improving-  the  Hudson  River.  We  felt 
that  it  was  of  great  importance  to  the  entire  State  of  New  York  and  to  the  great 
West  that  this  improvement  should  be  made  so  that  the  harbor  of  New  York 
should  be  extended  up  as  far  as  Albany,  bringing  all  the  adjacent  country  150 
miles  nearer  to  the  sea.  It  has  been  said  that  the  Hudson  River  belongs  to  the 
State  of  New  York,  that  this  is  a  local  enterprise.  We  believe  that  the  Hudson 
River  is  an  arm  of  the  sea,  the  same  as  Long  Island  Sound,  and  that  it  should  be 
improved  by  the  General  Government  the  same  as  is  Long  Island  Sound  and  the 
Mississippi  River. 

Rochester  is  the  fourth  city  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  is  a  large  manufac- 
turing place.  Our  facilities  for  shipping  by  railroad  are  good,  but  we  believe 
that  the  water  ways  should  be  improved. 

Everyone  knows  that  the  cost  of  transportation  by  water  is  much  less  than  by 
rail.  If  we  could  ship  our  goods  to  Albany  and  put  it  on  board  a  steamer  there 
bound  for  Europe  or  South  America — of  course  there  would  be  a  great  saving  in 
carrying  it  down  the  river  by  small  boats  as  is  done  now,  which  makes  a  great 
loss  of  time  and  too  much  expense  for  the  canal  boatmen.  They  could  probably 
make  twice  as  many  trips  if  they  could  stop  at  Albany,  and  of  course  the  Erie 
Canal  is  a  very  important  feature  in  the  transportation  from  the  West.  It  has 
been  suggested  that  the  Erie  Canal  should  be  improved  as  well  as  the  Hudson 
River.  To  us  it  seems  that  if  the  General  Government  will  put  the  Hudson  River 
in  such  shape  that  ocean  steamers  could  come  to  Albany  the  people  of  New 
York  would  come  forward  and  bring  the  Erie  Canal  up  to  its  fullest  capacity; 
that  if  the  Government  would  deepen  the  Hudson  River  that  the  people  of  the 
State  would  be  encouraged  to  come  forward  and  do  their  share.  We  feel  that 
Rochester  is  as  much  interested  in  this  improvement  as  is  Albany  or  any  of  the 
cities  along  the  Hudson,  and  that  if  Rochester  is  to  be  benefited  by  it,  and  ex- 
tend its  commerce  through  the  lakes,  even  as  far  as  Duluth,  not  only  ourselves 
but  this  whole  section  of  country  would  be  largely  benefited. 

Our  secretary,  Mr.  McClintock,  is  better  prepared  than  I  am  to  state  this 
matter. 

J.  Y.  McCLINTOCK. 
[Secretary  of  the  Rochester  (N.  Y.)  Chamber  of  Commerce.! 

Mr.  Chairman  and  members  of  the  Commission,  we  have  been  instructed  by 
by  the  Rochester  Chamber  of  Commerce  to  appear  before  you  on  behalf  of  the 
business  interests  of  that  city  in  favor  of  the  improvement  of  the  Hudson  River 
by  the  United  States  Government.  Rochester  is  the  fourth  city  in  size  in  the 
State  of  New  York.  Her  population  has  increased  during  the  past  decade  from 
under  90,000  to  over  138,000.  While  the  census  of  1880  showed  returns  from  seven 
hundred  and  thirty-five  manufacturing  establishments,  over  two  thousand  dis- 
tinct concerns  engaged  in  productive  industry  have  already  been  reported  for 
the  Eleventh  Census.  Her  prosperity  is  on  an  enduring  foundation  and  her 
people  have  confidence  in  her  future.  The  apparent  reasons  for  her  success  are 
the  enterprising  character  of  her  people,  a  location  in  the  center  of  as  productive 
an  agricultural  region  as  there  is  on  earth,  her  proximity  to  both  the  anthra- 
cite and  bituminous  coal  beds,  the  cheap  water-power  supplied  by  the  Genesee 
River,  an  extremely  healthy  and.  bracing  climate,  and  her  unsurpassed  trans- 
portation facilities.  Rochester's  importance  began  with  the  opening  of  the  Erie 
Canal,  and  has  increased  with  every  enlargement  of  that  canal  and  with  the  build- 
ing of  every  railroad  near  her.  Her  freight  business  is  of  enormous  volume.  It 
crowds  and  overtops  continually  the  extensive  facilities  afforded  by  the  railroads. 
It  is  said  that  what  she  gives  to  the  New  York  Central  and  Hudson  River  Rail- 
road is  more  than  one-quarter  of  the  whole  local  freight  business  of  that  system. 
Our  manufactures  are  so  diversified  that  we  do  business  with  all  of  the  country 
and  all  parts  of  the  world. 

The  deepening  of  the  Hudson  River  so  that  ocean  steamships  and  large  ves- 
sels can  come  to  Albany  would  mean  placing  Rochester  150  miles  nearer  to  the 
Atlantic  Ocean.  Steamers  would  start  from  Albany  not  only  for  European  ports 
and  for  the  Atlantic  ports  of  the  United  States  both  North  and  South,  but  for 
South  America  as  well.   We  are  greatly  interested  in  the  expansion  of  the 


HUDSON  EIVEE. 


55 


trade  with  South  America.  Our  manufacturers  are  already  carefully  studying 
the  held.  In  a  list  of  articles  taken  to  Brazil  by  the  Brazil  Steamship  Company 
are  named  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine  which  are  produced  in  Rochester  or  its 
immediate  vicinity.  We  want  their  nitrates,  tropical  woods,  hides,  fruits,  etc., 
delivered  as  near  as  possible  to  us  before  breaking  bulk.  We  want  the  phos- 
phates, cotton,  and  fruits  of  the  Southern  States  at  the  lowest  cost. 

Rochester  is  at  the  foot  of  the  hill  from  the  great  bituminous  coal  fields,  with 
a  short  haul,  and  will  load  millions  of  tons  in  the  future  for  distribution  from  Al- 
bany to  all  the  Atlantic  ports. 

The  purest  and  probably  the  most  cheaply  mined  deposits  of  salt  in  the  "world 
are  only  40  miles  south  of  us,  and  that  wonderful  product  of  the  earth,  which  is 
to  be  used  in  the  future  in  untold  quantities,  not  only  in  almost  all  industries, 
and  in  the  manufacture  of  many  chemicals  in  common  use,  but  in  the  produc- 
tion of  cold  storage  in  all  warm  countries  in  place  of  ice,  will  be  distributed 
from  Albany  by  the  million  tons.  The  age  of  aluminum  is  opening  up,  and  west- 
ern New  York  is  destined  to  be  the  seat  of  its  production.  With  the  unlimited 
cheap  water-power  to  be  made  available  both  at  Niagara  Falls  and  Rochester, 
combined  with  cheap  coal  and  salt,  no  other  district  can  compete  with  it.  The 
only  thing  necessary  to  bring  will  be  the  aluminum  ores,  which  will  come  in 
vast  quantities  from  Greenland  and  other  places  on  the  ocean,  through  the  Hud- 
son River :  clays  of  different  quality  will  be  used  in  increasing  quantity  and  will 
come,  as  they  now  do.  by  the  Hudson,  but  at  less  cost. 

I  may  say  right  here  that  Rochester  forty  years  ago  had  the  largest  flour 
industry  in  the  world.  To-day  we  make  fully  5,000  barrels  of  flour  a  day.  We 
stand  third  on  the  list  now — Minneapolis  first,  St.  Louis  second,  and  then  Roches- 
ter. There  are  eighteen  mills  in  successful  operation,  and  every  one  of  them  has 
been  enlarged  in  the  past  two  years. 

Water  transportation  has  still  a  great  advantage  over  the  railroad.  While  the 
cost  of  hauling  freight  upon  the  rail  has  been  greatly  reduced,  yet  the  cost  by 
water  has  been  correspondingly  lowered.  While  the  railroad  has  accomplished 
it  by  increasing  the  weight  of  train  and  so  decreased  the  cost  of  labor,  on  the 
water  it  has  been  reached  by  enlarging  the  ship,  increasing  the  depth  and 
lengthening  the  locks,  and  the  actual  cost  by  the  canal  is  still  less  than  one-half 
of  that  by  rail,  and  by  ships  for  less  still. 

We  have  dwelt  upon  the  advantages  to  accrue  to  us  locally,  but  they  are  also 
to  all  of  the  great  West.  The  cost  of  transportation  upon  its'products  will  be  re- 
duced by  deepening  the  Hudson  so  that  the  ocean  voyage  for  freight  begins  at 
Albany.  The  portion  of  the  voyage  of  every  canal  boat  from  Albany  to  New 
York  is  the  expensive  portion.  In  the  case  of  mule  power  they  are  doing  worse 
than  nothing  from  the  time  of  leaving  Albany  until  the  return,  because  they  are 
eating  their  heads  off.  and  besides  there  is  the  loss  of  productive  time,  both  as 
to  capital  invested  and  the  pay  of  a  useless  crew.  In  the  case  of  the  steam  canal 
boats  it  is  fully  as  bad.  They  are  constructed  to  work  to  the  best  advantage  in 
the  canal  at  very  low  speed ,  and  when  on  the  river  they  can  not  be  run  at  a  rate 
of  speed  great  enough  to  be  economical. 

We  desire  to  see  the  great  stream  of  commerce  continue  to  flow  through  this 
Empire  State,  because  while.it  is  of  benefit  to  others  it  is  of  great  benefit  to  us. 
We  look  forward  to  a  further  enlargement  of  the  canal  and  a  great  increase  of 
its  business,  and  as  a  leading  community  of  the  State  we  expect  to  willingly  bear 
our  full  portion  of  the  cost  of  it  to  the  State. 

While  we  say,  far  distant  be  the  day  when  the  Erie  Canal  shall  be  given  over 
to  the  control  of  the  General  Government,  we  urge  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment to  make  an  improvement  worthy  of  this  noble  river  and  the  vast  interests 
dependent  upon  it.  We  ask  it  on  the  grounds  of  justice,  equity,  and  sound  pub- 
lic policy,  and  say  that  if  this  is  done  it  will  make  it  easy  for  us  of  this  State, 
when  the  proper  time  comes,  to  make  that  enlargement  of  the  canal  which  will 
be  of  the  grandest  benefit  to  the  largest  portion  of  the  nation.  The  effect  of  the 
improvement  asked  for  will  not  be  to  create  a  rival  to  New  York,  but  will,  in 
effect,  extend  New  York's  magnificent  harbor  to  Albany. 

T.  F.  WHEELER. 

[Secretary  of  the  Albany  (N.  Y.)  Chamber  of  Commerce.] 

The  Business  Men's  Association  of  Syracuse  appointed  a  delegation  of  three,  of 
which  Senator  Francis  Hendricks  is  chairman.  I  do  not  think  Mr.  Hendricks  has 
come  in.  Mr.  Howard  G.  White,  of  the  assembly,  is  also  a  member,  but  he  does 
not  appear  to  be  here.    The  other  delegate,  Mr  /John  Lighton,  is  present. 


56 


HUDSON  EIVEK. 


JOHN  LIGHTON. 
[Of  the  Syracuse  (N.  Y.)  Business  Men's  Association.] 

Gentlemen,  I  will  simply  say  that  we  are  here  to  swell  the  crowd.  "We  have 
always  contributed  our  share  in  the  improvements,  especially  with  regard  to  the 
canal.  We  have  the  honor  of  having  made  the  first  lengthened  lock  on  the  Erie 
Canal  in  the  State,  and  we  want  to  shorten  it  and  make  it  of  the  height  of  the 
canal  at  Troy.  By  deepening  the  Hudson  River  you  will  shorten  our  distance  to 
New  York  150  miles.  At  present  we  do  not  consider  that  we  are  at  our  journey's 
end  until  we  reach  the  city  of  New  York,  and,  as  I  understand  it,  the  reason  that 
we  have  to  go  to  New  York  is  that  the  channel  is  so  narrow  and  there  is  so  much 
less  water  at  Troy  and  Albany  that  it  is  cheaper  for  them  to  go  through  than  to 
reship  their  grain,  whereas  if  they  could  deepen  the  basin  at  Troy  and  Albany 
they  could  reship  their  grain  at  a  reasonable  rate  and  thereby  save  150  miles. 

We  all  hope  that  you  will  join  us  in  getting  the  United  States  to  improve  this 
channel.  I  think  it  can  be  done  with  a  very  little  money.  We  are  trying  now 
to  lengthen  all  the  locks,  and  by  doing  so,  you  double  the  capacity  of  the  canal. 
At  present  only  a  limited  number  of  boats  can  get  into  the  lock,  it  being  so  nar- 
row, and  the  result  is  that  many  have  to  wait,  causing  delay  and  expense.  I 
have  always  been  in  favor  of  the  canals,  and  have  done  all  I  could  for  them,  and 
have  given  the  subject  much  attention.  I  have  been  called  a  "  canal  crank."  I 
asked  for  $30,000,  for  the  purpose  of  lengthening  the  canal  locks  at  our  place  and 
got  it,  and  the  result  was  that  we  doubled  our  capacity. 

We  earnestly  desire  the  improvement  of  the  Hudson  River  from  Troy  down, 
thereby  shortening  the  distance  to  the  canal  150  miles,  and  by  the  time  you  have 
the  river  cleaned  out,  that  we  may  have  all  our  locks  lengthened,  so  we  could 
have  8  feet  of  water  there.  There  are  some  levels  there  that  will  carry  8  feet  of 
water  now,  providing  the  sediment  was  cleaned  out  to  the  original  depth. 

I  will  only  say  in  conclusion  to  you,  gentlemen,  give  us  a  helping  hand  and 
push  this  thing  along,  and  we  will  all  work  together  to  accomplish  this  great 
improvement. 

Mr.  Wheeler.  Mr.  Chairman,  I  have  a  series  of  letters  and  resolutions  sent 
to  us  from  commercial  bodies  of  the  West — from  Detroit,  Cleveland,  Chicago, 
Burlington,  Iowa,  Mankato,  and  many  other  western  places.  What  is  your  de- 
sire in  relation  to  them  ? 

Col.  Gillespie.  They  will  be  noted  as  having  been  received  by  the  Board  to 
be  considered  in  connection  with  the  subject  that  has  been  under  discussion  to- 
day. 

Mr.  Wheeler.  I  think,  Mr.  Chairman,  that  concludes,  with  one  exception, 
all  the  speakers  who  have  notified  me  of  their  desire  to  address  your  Commis- 
sion. I  am  aware  that  there  were  several  other  delegations  that  were  expected 
here.  If  there  are  any  others  present  who  desire  to  be  heard,  now  is  the  oppor- 
tunity. (After  a  pause.)  ThSre  seem  to  be  no  others,  Mr.  Chairman.  Hon. 
D.  Cady  Herrick,  of  this  city,  has  been  requested  to  make  the  closing  argu 
ment. 

D.  CADY  HERRICK. 

[Of  the  Albany  Chamber  of  Commerce.] 

Gentlemen  of  the  Commission,  I  was  assigned  to  make  the  last  address  to 
you  upon  the  assumption,  I  believe,  that  all  the  other  speakers  that  were  to 
be  here  would  consume  ail  the  time,  or  at  least  that,  if  they  did  not  consume  all 
the  time,  they  would  leave  no  ground  for  me  to  cover,  and  that,  therefore,  my 
remarks  would  be  brief  and  well  calculated  to  disperse  any  audience  that  might 
assemble. 

I  do  not  know  exactly  what  the  province  of  this  commission  is,  and  just  what 
subject  will  enter  into  your  report  or  what  snecial  matters  you  will  take  into  con- 
sideration in  making  your  report  to  Congress  as  to  what  should  be  done  here. 
But  if,  when  this  question  was  first  broached  to  you,  you  apprehended  that  it  was 
nothing  but  a  local  matter,  it  seems  to  me  that,  judging  from  the  audience  that 
you  have  seen  gathered  here  before  you  to-day,  not  only  from  this  State,  but 
from  other  States  who  have  signified  their  approval  of  the  contemplated  project, 
you  must  have  been  satisfied  that  this  was  much  more  than  a  mere  local  matter 
in  the  interest  of  Troy  and  Albany. 

I  will  say  in  addition,  and  in  furtherance  of  that  idea,  that  the  Legislature  of 
the  State  of  New  York  in  both  its  branches  has  to-day  unanimously  passed  a  res- 


HUDSON  EIVER. 


57 


olution  calling  upon  its  representatives  in  the  Senate  and  House  of  Represents 
tives  in  Congress  to  use  their  votes  and  influence  to  carry  the  object  we  are  seek- 
ing to  a  successful  issue. 

Even  were  this  a  mere  local  matter,  it  seems  to  me  that  there  is  enough  in  it 
to  address  itself  to  your  favorable  consideration,  and  induce  you  to  make  at  least 
an  impression  upon  the  Federal  Government. 

Your  attention  has  been  called  to  the  very  large  population  which  centers 
around  the  head  of  navigation  upon  the  Hudson  River.  Albany  and  Troy  are  but 
a  part.  There  is  a  large  and  steadily  growing  population,  and  it  bids  fair  in  the 
not  far  distant  future,  to  be  the  center  of  perhaps  the  largest  population  of  any 
portion  of  the  State  excepting  that  around  New  York  Harbor.  That  is  something 
which  should  be  taken  into  consideration  in  determining  as  to  whether  the  chan- 
nel of  the  Hudson  River  should  be  deepened  and  broadened  some  twenty  miles 
until  it  reaches  the  dam  above  Troy,  even  if  it  should  go  no  further. 

The  broader  ground  of  larger  interests  which  are  involved,  are  the  upper 
waters  of  the  Hudson  River.  It  has  been  well  and  properly  illustrated  here  that 
the  great  problem  of  to-day  is  cheap  transportation,  and  it  requires  no  argu- 
ment, because  those  who  have  given  special  consideration  to  the  subject  are 
aware  that  water  transportation  is  the  cheapest  transportation  discovered  up  to 
this  time,  and  the  problem  is  how  that  transportation  shall  be  made  still 
cheaper. 

Your  attention  has  also  been  called  to  what  this  particular  channel  means ; 
that  it  means  not  only  an  outlet  for  the  State  of  New  York,  but  an  outlet  to  the 
ocean  for  the  West  and  Northwest,  and  I  can  only  recapitulate  and  sum  up,  if 
you  please,  those  things  which  have  already  been  presented  to  you. 

You  are  doubtless  familiar  with  the  fact  that  the  trend  of  commerce  tends  to- 
ward the  Great  Lakes  instead  of  being  toward  the  South  to  the  Gulf,  and  doubt- 
less it  will  tend  more  and  more  in  the  same  direction  as  the  years  roll  by. 

Now  I  think  there  are  few  of  us  who  really  appreciated  the  commerce  of  the 
Great  Lakes  until  we  heard  the  statement  of  the  gentleman  from  Duluth,  and 
that  that  commerce,  great  as  it  now  is,  has  scarcely  gone  beyond  its  infancy. 
"When  we  consider  what  it  will  be  in  the  next  few  years,  it  then  becomes  a  ques- 
tion whether  we  shall  hold  that  commerce,  or  whether  it  shall  proceed  through 
the  Dominion  of  Canada,  and  that  seems  to  be  one  of  the  great  problems  pre- 
sented to  our  people,  whether  we  should  control  that  commerce  ourselves,  or 
allow  it  to  drift  into  foreign  domination. 

Your  attention  has  been  called  to  the  fact  that  the  colonies  of  Great  Britain 
have  been  spending  enormous  sums  of  money  for  the  purpose  of  securing  ocean 
navigation,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  a  route  from  the  Great  Lakes  in  order 
that  you  can  move  from  Duluth,  or  from  the  Lake  of  the  Woods,  if  you  please, 
with  ocean-going  vessels  clear  through,  and  from  thence  across  to  Europe.  While 
they  are  expending  these  vast  sums  for  maintaining  deep  navigation  for  only  a 
short  distance,  we  have  been  lying  supine  and  idle.  Not  only  has  New  York  not 
done  that  which  she  ought  to  do,  but  the  Federal  Government  has  been  absolutely 
doing  nothing.  While  it  has  spent  thousands  of  dollars,  and  spent  it  well,  it  has 
been  in  other  directions  where  only  small  sections  of  the  country  are  benefited, 
while  this  great  water  way,  which*  has  done  so  much  to  build  up  the  West  and 
the  great  Northwest,  which  the  State  of  New  York  has  practically  maintained 
solely  and  alone,  has  been  neglected.  The  sum  which  has  been  spent  by  this 
Federal  Government  on  this  water  way  is  not  as  much  as  the  city  of  Montreal  alone 
has  expended  to  assist  in  extending  its  waterway. 

Now,. it  seems  to  me  that  this  cheap  water  transportation  is  something  to  be 
taken  into  consideration  by  you;  whether  the  Hudson  River  is  a  factor  in  that 
question;  whether  we  can  gain  cheaper  transportation  by  broadening  and  deep- 
ening the  Hudson  River  to  its  head;  whether  we  cannot  have  the  distance  from 
the  ocean  lessened  by  150  miles;  that  cheapens  transportation,  and  this  cheapen- 
ing is  the  problem  of  transportation.  A  difference  of  a  few  cents  determines 
whether  the  grain  of  the  Northwest  is  to  come  through  our  territory  or  is  to  be 
transported  to  Europe  through  foreign  channels.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  bringing 
of  ocean  steamers  to  Albany  and  Troy,  and  possibly  sometime  in  the  near  future 
extending  the  route  through  to  the  Great  Lakes,  will  do  more  to  solve  the  prob- 
lem of  cheap  transportation,  and  increase  the  wealth  of  the  West  and  Northwest 
than  anything  else  that  can  be  done. 

Now,  gentlemen,  I  understand  that  the  hours  which  you  were  to  give  to  this 
discussion  have  nearly  closed.  The  subject  has  been  fully  presented  to  you  in  all 
its  phases. 

There  was  one  thought  which  my  friend  from  Troy,  Mr.  McArthur,  presented 


58 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


which  occurs  to  me.  If  I  am  prevented  from  doing  or  saying  muc^ .  it  perhaps  may 
be  ascribed  to  physical  disabilities,  yet  there  are  one  or  two  things  which, in  connec- 
tion with  his  remarks,  may  be  rationally  discussed.  They  are  whether  the  deepen- 
ing of  the  Hudson  River  is  not  and  should  not  be  a  part  of  the  military  system  of  the 
country,  not  only  for  defensive  purposes,  but  for  purposes  of  attack,  if  we  are 
driven  to  it,  because,  if  we  thoroughly  understand  the  situation,  the  towns  along 
the  Great  Lakes  are  practically  at  the  mercy  of  a  foreign  power.  They  have  the 
means  of  placing  armored  vessels  there  almost  at  once,  and  we  not  only  have  not 
the  means  to  repel  them,  but  are  prohibited  from  keeping  armored  vessels  in 
that  locality  to  protect  ourselves,  to  repel  attack,  and  to  make  attack. 

These  matters,  it  seems  to  me.  can  properly  be  taken  into  consideration  in 
making  a  favorable  report  to  the  Government  to  come  to  our  assistance. 

We  say  that  whether  the  Federal  Government  determines  or  whether  you  de- 
termine that  it  is  wise  to  take  into  consideration  the  project  of  a  ship  canal  or 
not,  the  time  will  surely  come  when  the  Federal  Government  has  done  for  us 
that  which  it  has  done  for  similar  tributaries  in  other  States,  the  imperial  State 
of  New  York  will  take  care  of  its  own  canal  sooner  than  have  the  commerce  of 
this  country  driven  away  to  other  and  foreign  ports. 


The  following  is  a  list  of  the  letters  and  resolutions  presented  at  the  meeting 
by  Mr.  F.  F.  Wheeler,  secretary  of  the  Albany  Chamber  of  Commerce  :* 

1.  Resolution  adopted  by  "Friends  of  the  State's  Beneficent  Canal  System'' at 
New  York,  December  11,  1890,  urging  legislation  to  improve  the  State  canals. 

2.  Letter  from  W.  B.  Mather,  secretary  Chicago  Corn  Exchange  (of  December 
16,  1890),  stating  his  belief  that  the  improvement  would  benefit  the  Western 
country. 

3.  Letter  of  December  16,  1890,  from  C.  D.  Holmes,  secretary  of  the  Fargo  (N. 
Dak.)  Board  of  Trade,  wishing  success  to  the  project. 

4.  Letter  of  December  19,  1890,  from  C.  C.  Sturtevant,  secretary  Minneapolis 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  saying  that  they  will  give  hearty  support  and  coopera- 
tion to  the  project,  if  it  will  have  the  effect  of  cheapening  transportation  from 
the  Northwest  to  the  seaboard. 

5.  Letter  of  December  22, 1890,  from  Charles  A.  Chapman,  secretary  Mankato 
(Minn.)  Board  of  Trade,  sympathizing  with  the  movement  to  improve  the  internal 
navigation  of  the  country. 

6.  Letter  of  December  23, 1890,  from  H.  T.  Denison,  secretary  Davenport  (Iowa) 
Business  Men's  Association,  accompanied  by  resolutions  adopted  by  that  body 
indorsing  the  project. 

7.  Resolutions  of  Detroit  (Mich.)  Board  of  Trade,  favoring  the  deepening  of 
Hudson  River  so  as  to  admit  the  passage  of  ocean  craft  of  3,000  tons  burden  as 
far  as  Troy,  N.  Y. 

8.  Letter  of  December  27,  1890,  from  A.  J.  Begges,  secretary  Cleveland  (Ohio) 
Board  of  Trade,  favoring  the  project. 

9.  Letter  of  December  29,  1890,  from  P.  M.  Crapo.  president  of  the  Burlington 
(Iowa)  Board  of  Trade,  strongly  in  favor  of  the  proposed  improvement. 

10.  Letter  of  January  2,  1891,  from  D.  R.  Noyes,  president  St.  Paul  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  approving  the  movement. 

11.  Letter  of  January  2, 1891 ,  from  the  secretary  of  the  Chicago  Board  of  Trade, 
stating  that  its  board  of  directors,  by  vote,  approve  the  project  to  deepen  the 
Hudson  River  from  Coxsackie  to  Troy. 

12.  Letter  of  January  2,  1891,  from  Mayor  Grant,  of  New  York  City,  approv- 
ing this  and  other  undertakings  to  improve  the  commerce  of  New  York. 

13.  Letter  of  January  3,  1891.  from  Edward  Mitchell,  mayor  of  Oswego,  N.  Y. 

14.  Letter  of  January  5,  1891,  from  E.  B.  Judson,  president  of  First  National 
Bank,  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  expressing  great  interest  in  the  work. 

15.  Letter  of  January  5,  1891,  from  Henry  H.  Truman,  of  Orange,  N.  J.,  ex- 
pressing approval  of  the  project. 

16.  Letter  of  January  5,  1891,  from  George  W.  Gardner,  mayor  of  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  favoring  cooperation  of  the  United  States  Government  in  the  work. 

17.  Letter  of  January  5,  1891,  from  the  Cleveland  Vessel  Owners'  Association, 
recognizing  the  importance  of  deepening  the  Hudson  River,  and  the  great  bervice 
to  the  Northwest  of  the  canal  and  river  system  of  New  York  State. 


♦See  Appendix  5. 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


59 


APPENDIX  3. 

RECORD  OF  A  PUBLIC  MEETING  HELD  IN  THE  ARMY  BUILDING,  NEW  YORK 
CITY.  MAY  15,  1891,  AND  CALLED  BY  THE  BOARD  OF  OFFICERS  OF  THE 
CORPS  OF  ENGINEERS,  CONSISTING  OF  LIEUTENANT-COLONEL  G.  L.  GIL- 
LESPIE. MAJOR  AMOS  STICKNEY,  AND  MAJOR  CHARLES  W.  RAYMOND, 
CONSTITUTED  BY  PARAGRAPH  1,  SPECIAL  ORDERS  NO.  136,  HEADQUARTERS, 
CORPS  OF  ENGINEERS.  SEPTEMBER  30,  1890.  TO  CONSIDER  AND  REPORT 
UPON  THE  OBSTRUCTIONS  TO  NAVIGATION  IN  THE  HUDSON  RIVER,  UNDER 
THE  PROVISIONS  OF  SECTION  17  OF  THE  RIVER  AND  HARBOR  ACT  OF  SEP- 
TEMBER 19,  1890. 

New  York,  May  15,  1891. 

The  meeting-  was  called  to  order  at  11  a.  m. 

All  the  members  of  the  Board  were  present.  Among-  those  in  attendance,  the 
following  participated  in  the  discussion:  Messrs.  Edward  Hincken  and  A. 
Foster  Higgins,  of  New  York  City;  Hon.  Martin  I.  Townsend  and  Mr.  E.  F. 
Murray,  of  Troy,  N.  Y.;  Mr.  Fred.  F.  Wheeler,  of  Albany,  N.  Y.;  Mayor  W.  H. 
Crombie,  of  Burlington,  Vt.;  Mr.  John  F.  Lape,  Greenbush,  N.  Y.,  and  Col. 
Furman.  of  Schenectady,  N.  Y. 

Col.  Gillespie  opened  the  proceedings  with  the  following  remarks: 

The  meeting  here  to-day  may  be  regarded,  I  think,  as  an  adjourned  meeting 
of  the  hearing  in  Albany  on  the  6th  of  January  last.  The  original  meeting  was 
held  in  Albany  for  the  reason  that  the  Board  was  informed  that  the  item  con- 
tained in  the  river  and  harbor  act  referring  to  the  deepening  of  the  Hudson 
River  originated  with  the  member  of  Congress  from  that  district,  and  therefore 
the  Board  went  to  Albany  for  the  purpose  of  conferring-  with  those  persons  who 
presumably  originated  the  item. 

At  that  meeting  the  Board  was  a  little  disappointed  not  to  find  representatives 
of  the  commercial  bodies  of  the  city  of  New  York  present,  and  it  was  deemed 
best,  in  order  to  reach  these  bodies,  that  a  meeting-  should  be  held  here. 

The  point  to  be  determined  is  the  expediency  of  deepening-  the  Hudson  River 
so  as  to  furnish  a  navigable  depth  of  20  feet  from  the  city  of  New  York  to  Albany 
or  Troy,  and  we  desire  that  anyone  here — whether  he  resides  in  New  York, 
Albany,  or  elsewhere — who  has  any  information  bearing-  upon  the  subject,  will 
present  it  to  the  Board  at  this  meeting,  as  this  will  be  the  final  hearing. 

I  have  a  communication  from  the  Maritime  Association  of  the  port  of  New  York, 
which  reads  as  follows : 

New  York,  May  8, 1S91. 

Dear  Sir  :  I'have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  communica- 
tion of  the  5th  instant,  regarding  the  proposition  to  provide  safe  navigation  for 
ocean-going  vessels  from  the  sea  to  Albany. 

I  beg  to  say  in  response,  that,  in  view  of  the  importance  of  the  subject  to  the 
commerce  of  the  United  States  and  of  this  port,  I  have  referred  it  to  a  special 
committee  representing  various  interests  involved. 

After  careful  consideration  of  their  report  by  our  board  of  directors.  I  will  take 
pleasure  in  communicating  to  you  their  views  thereon.    Meanwhile  I  remain. 
Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

Richd.  Gurney,  President. 

Col.  G.  L.  Gillespie,  U.  S.  A. 

I  have  also  a  communication  from  the  Tugboat  Owners'  Association  of  Albany, 
as  follows : 

Albany,  N.  Y.,  May  12,  1891. 
Dear  Sir:  "The  Tugboat  Owners' Association  of  Albany  and  Troy"  desire 
to  express  their  earnest  approval  of  the  effort  which  is  being  made  to  deepen 
the  channel  of  the  Hudson  River  so  as  to  admit  of  the  passage  of  heavy-draft 
vessels  to  Albany. 

The  consummation  of  the  scheme  would  be  far  reaching  in  its  effects  upon  the 
commerce  of  our  country  and  would  most  assuredly  be  a  material  benefit.  We 
can  not  deny  the  fact  that  our  interest  in  the  proposed  improvement  of  the  Hud- 
son's channel  is  largely  inspired  by  selfish  motives,  since  it  is  apparent  that  the 
carrying  out  of  the  project  must  have  a  helpful  influence  upon  all  enterprises 
conducted  on  the  Hudson  and  its  connected  water  ways  and  railroad  lines:  yet 
beyond  that  it  is  evident  to  all  who  are  not  interested  in  the  matter  by  reason  of 
personal  benefit  expected,  and  who  view  the  project  unbiasedly  and  unselfishly, 
that  the  deepening  of  the  Hudson  as  contemplated  will  be  a  grand  achievement 


60 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


in  aid  of  the  commercial  interests  of  the  United  States,  and  on<-  of  the  most  im- 
portant and  beneficial  engineering  accomplishments  of  the  present  decade. 

A  voice  or  a  hand  raised  against  the  project,  it  seems  to  us,  is  unwarranted  op- 
position to  a  much-needed  public  improvement,  and  discloses  a  deplorable  lack 
of  sympathy  with  our  national  progress.  We  most  earnestly  hope  the  project 
may  have  successful  issue. 

By  order  of  "  Tugboat  Owners'  Association." 
Yours,  respectfully, 

DeWitt  A.  Fuller, 
Clinton  Robinson, 
Charles  Dubois, 

Executive  Committee. 

Lieut.  Col.  G.  L.  Gillespie, 

Army  Building,  New  York  City. 

I  wish  to  say,  in  addition,  that  a  proper  notification  has  been  given  to  the  New 
York  Central,  the  Delaware  and  Lackawanna,  and  the  Erie  Railroad  Companies, 
but  that  I  have  heard  nothing  from  them. 

Mr.  Edward  Hincken,  a  member  of  the  board  of  commissioners  of  pilots,  New 
York  City,  who  was  the  first  speaker,  commenced  his  remarks  with  the  assertion 
that  the  Hudson  River  at  Albany  is  closed  to  navigation  for  six  months  in  the 
year,  and  declared  that  the  proposed  improvement  appeared  to  be  entirely  in  the 
interests  of  the  western  country,  which,  according  to  a  comparison  of  rates  for 
transportation  of  produce  from  Chicago  to  Liverpool,  had  nothing  to  complain  of 
against  present  facilities.  He  produced  a  list  of  vessels  drawing  20  feet  of  water, 
which,  not  being  complete,  he  said  he  would  furnish  the  Board  when  full  infor- 
mation was  received.  (Exhibit  A.)  He  further  stated  that  by  loading  at  New 
York  vessels  would  not  have  to  put  in  ballast,  which  would  be  required  in  going 
up  the  river  to  take  on  cargo.  He  concluded  his  remarks  by  stating  that  the 
Hudson  River  is  closed  for  six  months  in  the  year,  on  an  average :  that  there  is 
not  a  boat  up  there  yet  at  this  date ;  and  that  on  the  15th  of  November  they 
stopped. 

Mr.  Edward  F.  Murray,  of  TVoy,  engaged  in  transportation  business  on  the 
Hudson  River,  stated  that  never,  in  his  thirty  years'  experience  on  the  Hudson, 
had  he  known  the  river  to  be  closed  for  six  months  in  the  year,  and  that  it  had 
never  been  closed  more  than  four  months. 

Mr.  Hincken.  I  have  a  document  to  prove  my  statement. 

Hon.  Martin  I.  Townsend,  of  Troy.  I  have  lived  in  that  vicinity  nearly  all 
my  life,  and  know  that  nothing  of  the  kind  has  occurred  in  fifty-eight  years. 
There  is  another  thing.  The  gentleman  says  that  they  have  not  got  a  boat  up 
there  yet.    The  navigation  has  been  going  on  for  the  past  four  weeks. 

Mr.  Hincken.  The  canal  is  not  open. 

Mr.  Townsend.  But  traffic  is  handled  there  by  the  railways. 

Col.  Gillespie.  Is  there  a  representative  present  from  the  Produce  Exchange: 
a  representative  from  the  Maritime  Exchange  ;  a  representative  from  the  Board 
of  Trade,  from  any  of  the  railroads,  or  from  the  Chamber  of  Commerce? 

Mr.  A.  F.  Higgins  said  that,  being  called  upon  on  short  notice  to  represent  the 
New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce,  he  had  not  had  sufficient  time  to  prepare  sta- 
tistics to  accompany  the  remarks  he  should  make,  but  he  considered  that  the 
main  question  is  whether  the  proposed  work  has  for  its  object  the  improvement 
of  the  commerce  of  the  Union.  While  there  is  no  disposition  on  the  part  of  the 
New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce  to  try  to  limit  the  operations  of  the  commerce 
of  the  world  for  the  benefit  of  New  York  City  alone,  the  proposition  is  based 
upon  a  condition  of  things  to  which  he  demurs.  He  is  not  aware  that  New  York 
City  does  not  have  all  the  facilities  which  are  needed  for  commerce.  The  rail- 
roads are  doing  all  that  is  necessary  for  carrying  on  the  traffic,  and  the  harbor 
is  ample  for  the  requirements  of  commerce.  Besides,  the  increase  in  the  com- 
struction  of  iron  steamers  has  been  unwarranted  by  the  actual  traffic,  and  to-day 
there  are  at  least  one  thousand,  and  perhaps  three  thousand,  steamships  afloat 
beyond  the  actual  requirements  of  the  world's  commerce.  This  state  of  things 
arises  principally  from  the  fact  that  Great  Britain  has  a  large  number  of  skilled 
workmen,  to  keep  which  it  had  resorted  to  the  expedient  of  building  vessels. 
This  vast  excess  of  steamships  is  kept  at  an  enormous  expense  to  owners,  and 
often  at  a  great  loss.  The  whole  question  in  this  case  is  one  of  expediency,  and 
the  Government  is  asked  to  expend  an  enormous  amount  of  money — anywhere 
from  $10,000,000  to  $40,000,000— to  carry  commerce  farther  up  from  the  harbor. 
The  most  of  this  commerce  is  not  managed  by  the  railroads,  which  have  at 
present  great  difficulty  in  making  a  decent  earning  upon  their  stock,  and  this 


HUDSON  KIVER. 


61 


improvement  is  declared  to  be  for  the  purpose  of  controlling  the  traffic,  which, 
it  is  stated,  is  not  now  sufficiently  accommodated,  and  coming  in  competition 
with  the  railroads.  Now,  which  of  the  interests  is  the  greater  is  the  point  tote 
decided.  He  further  expressed  the  conviction  that  the  traffic  is  not  in  the  condi- 
tion stated,  but  that  the  port  of  New  York  is  quite  capable  of  furnishing-  facili- 
ties as  fast  as  the  growth  of  the  commerce  requires. 

Maj.  Raymond  here  inquired  if  Mr.  Higgins  could  inform  him— regarding  an 
effort  made  some  twenty-five  years  ago  to  utilize  the  deep  water  of  the  Hudson 
as  far  as  it  goes  up  now.  and  an  attempt  made  to  establish  a  harbor  and  induce 
vessels  to  come  up  there  and  handle  cargoes,  which  attempt  failed  entirely  and 
was  abandoned — where  such  a  port  was  located. 

Mr.  Higgins  stated  that  he  could  not  tell. 

Maj.  Raymond.  I  think  it  was  at  Athens.  What  is  the  head  of  deep- water 
navigation  now  ? 

jMjr.  Higgins.  Newburg  is  a  port  for  steam  vessels,  but  I  think  it  handles 
mostly  local  traffic. 

.Maj.  Raymond.  This  proposition  seems  to  be  to  transfer  the  head  of  deep- 
water  navigation  from  Athens  to  Albany,  and  I  want  to  find  out  what  would  be 
the  effect  upon  commerce,  and  whether,  if  we  had  communication  by  water  at 
Albany,  it  would  be  more  favorably  situated  than  at  Athens,  from  which  point 
there  is  a  railroad  up  to  Albany. 

Mr.  Higgins.  I  think,  so  far  as  the  effect  is  concerned,  there  would  be  an  in- 
creased traffic  at  Albany. 

Maj.  Raymond.  In  these  vessels  that  carry  grain  and  lumber  through  the 
canals? 

.Mr.  Higgins.  All  the  western  traffic— lake  traffic. 

Maj.  Raymond.  And  this  traffic  would  be  handled  at  Albany  by  tramp  steam- 
ers principally  ? 
Mr.  Higgins.  Very  largely. 

Maj.  Raymond.  What  is  the  draft  of  these  vessels  as  a  general  thing? 
Mr.  Higgins.  They  average  about  20  feet.    It  would  take  a  little  more  depth 
than  that. 

Maj.  Raymond.  We  realize  that  to  have  a  channel  to  accommodate  vessels 
of  20  feet  there  must  be  a  depth  of  22  feet  or  more.  I  wanted  to  find  out  how 
much  of  the  carrying  trade  would  be  affected. 

Mr.  Higgins.  There  is  no  trouble  in  getting  a  vessel  of  that  draft  which  will 
carry  a  very  large  tonnage.  Whatever  depth  should  be  established,  vessels 
would  be  constructed  to  correspond  with  it  in  draft  very  rapidly,  if  found  ex- 
pedient. 

Maj.  Raymojitd.  I  had  an  idea  that  the  tendency  at  the  present  time  was  to 
increase  the  draft,  especially  of  those  vessels  that  carry  grain,  lumber,  and  so  on. 

Mr.  Higgins.  I  think  the  most  profitable  vessels  are  those  that  carry  about 
2.000  tons.    There  is  no  particular  necessity  for  vessels  of  5,000  or  6,000  tons. 

Maj.  Raymond.  Are  you  familiar  with  the  statistics  of  tonnage  down  the 
canal  ? 

Mr.  Higgins.  No  ;  I  can  not  say  that  I  am.  They  can  be  readily  obtained 
though.  I  think. 

Maj.  Raymond.  Do  you  think  that  if  we  had  deep-water  navigation,  the 
material  which  is  now  brought  from  the  West  and  Northwest  by  railway  would 
be  rehandled  at  Albany,  or  brought  down  on  the  cars? 

Mr.  Higgins.  There  would  only  be  one  handling,  and  that  at  Albany. 

Maj.  Raymond.  Suppose  a  train  of  cars  is  loaded  at  Chicago,  and  arrives  at 
Albany.    Would  it  not  cost  more  to  bring  that  here  on  cars? 

Mr.  Higgins.  That  would  be  a  question  of  cost  per  ton  per  mile. 

Maj.  Raymond.  WTould  not  the  cost  from  Albany  to  New  York — about  150 
miles — be  somewhat  less  by  water  than  by  rail  ? 

Mr.  Higgins.  It  probably  would.  On  150  miles  there  are  a  great  many  ex- 
penses, in  different  ways.  Steamers  going  up  there  would  have  to  take  pilots,  for 
instance.    So  you  can  hardly  tell  what  the  difference  would  be. 

Maj.  Raymond.  Would  not  the  steamers  go  up  the  Hudson  with  their  cargoes 
and  distribute  them  from  there  ? 

Mr.  HIGGINS.  They  would  come  from  Liverpool.  London,  or  Havre,  straight 
to  any  port  in  the  United  States  where  there  is  sufficient  channel. 

Col.  Gillespie  then  inquired  if  there  were  any  other  commercial  representa- 
tives from  New  York  present  who  wished  to  make  any  remarks,  to  which  no  re- 
sponse was  made. 

Mr.  Townsend  stated  that  he  would  like  to  hear  from  Mr.  Murray. 


62 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


Mr.  Murray  said  that  it  appeared  to  him  that  the  gentleman  who  had  just 
spoken  is  afraid  that  if  this  improvement  were  made  it  would  work  great  injury 
to  the  commercial  interests  of  the  city  of  New  York.  Referring  to  the  questions 
asked  the  gentleman  in  regard  to  the  head  of  deep-water  navigation,  he  said  he 
considered  that  to  be  an  important  matter.  At  the  point  mentioned  there  is  but 
one  railroad,  while  the  railroad  interests  of  Albany  and  Troy  are  very  large — 
the  Delaware  and  Hudson.  Erie,  Fitohburg,  and  Canadian  Pacific  railroads  cen- 
ter there.  The  question  arises,  Can  there  be  anything  saved  by  enlarging  this 
river  and  having  foreign  vessels  come  up  to  Troy  and  Albany  ?  At  the  present 
time  freight  can  be  taken  from  the  cars  at  Troy  or  Albany  and  delivered  along- 
side vessels  at  New  York  as  cheap,  if  not  cheaper,  as  at  New  York  alone — the 
entire  cost  from  Troy  is  no  more  than  that  of  lightering  from  Thirtieth  street, 
at  New  York  City.  That  shows  that  something  can  be  saved,  even  if  it  is  only  the 
cost  of  one  handling.  So  far  as  local  interests  are  concerned,  the  people  of  his 
section  would  be  very  glad  to  have  foreign  vessels  load  at  Troy. 

Col.  Gillespie.  If  the  channel  in  the  river  were  widened  and  deepened  to 
20  feet,  would  you  use  a  larger  class  of  vessels? 

Mr.  Murray.  We  would  have  to. 

Col.  Gillespie.  Would  it  be  advantageous  to  you? 

Mr.  Murray.  It  would  be  advantageous  to  the  business  of  the  country.  I  am 
in  favor  of  the  improvement  because  I  am  satisfied,  from  my  experience  in  the 
business,  that  it  would  be  of  increased  advantage  to  shippers. 

Maj.  Raymond.  Why  do  you  not  just  take  your  boats  down  to  the  head  of 
deep-water  navigation  ? 

Mr.  Murray.  If  we  only  come  down  to  Hudson  or  Athens,  there  is  no  busi- 
ness to  go  back.  If  they  had  business  there  to  take  back  to  Troy  it  would  be  all 
right.  It  is  more  profitable  to  come  all  the  way  to  New  York,  where  we  can  get 
a  return  cargo. 

In  answer  to  further  questions  Mr.  Murray  stated  that,  in  his  opinion,  large 
manufacturing  interests  would  be  established  if  the  river  were  deepened  ;  that 
rates  for  freight  would  probably  be  reduced  50  per  cent  or  more :  that  the 
locks  on.  the  canal  are  being  enlarged,  and,  should  the  river  be  deepened,  the 
State  would  see  the  necessity  of  enlarging  the  canal  so  that  the  business  of  the 
West  could  go  through  in  bulk — maybe  right  through  from  Liverpool.  In  order 
to  do  this,  they  propose  to  get  20  feet  of  water  through  the  canal. 

A  representative  from  the  Business  Men's  Association  of  Albany  stated  that 
his  organization  was  not  represented  at  the  hearing  at  Albany,  but  he  wished  to 
say  that  it  concurred  in  the  views  expressed  by  Mr.  Murray. 

Hon.  Martin  I.  Townsend  spoke  as  follows: 

I  desire  to  say  a  few  words,  in  addition  to  what  I  said  before,  in  regard  to  the 
fact  that  business  is  not  done  at  the  head  of  deep-water  navigation. 

In  order  that  there  shall  be  a  business  done  at  any  point,  three  or  four  ele- 
ments should  be  considered.  It  is  necessary  that  there  not  only  be  deep  water, 
but  there  must  be  somebody  there  to  transact  the  business,  and  some  facilities 
to  bring  the  business  overland  to  the  place  where  the  deep  water  is. 

Now,  the  business  of  the  great  West  is  brought  to  the  locality  represented  by 
Albany  and  Troy — some  say  Albany  and  others  Troy,  according  to  their  loca- 
tion, but  we  are  practically  one  people.  We  are  6  miles  apart,  but  practically 
our  interests  are  one.  The  mode  of  life  in  one  place  is  precisely  what  it  is  in 
the  other.  There  are  large  manufacturing  interests  in  both  places.  It  is  a  com- 
munity of  about  250,000  people,  a  large  portion  of  whom  are  engaged  in  the  trans- 
portation business;  and  most  of  those  not  engaged  in  the  business  of  transporta- 
tion are  occupied  in  a  much  more  important  'business,  that  of  getting  something 
to  transport.  Now,  we  have  there  business  brought  to  us  that  can  be  done  on  the 
river,  and  we  have  a  people  to  do  that  business  upon  the  river — men  engaged  in 
commerce.  If  we  can  have  a  third  element — that  is,  the  facilities  for  transact- 
ing this  business  with  the  outside  world  and  with  our  own  country  outside  of 
Sandy  Hook — it  will  afford  an  outlet  for  our  commerce. 

It  is  for  these  reasons  that  we,  as  a  locality,  are  anxious  to  have  this  canal 
deeper.  I  call  it  a  canal,  for  the  river  is  not  able  to  provide  for  the  needs  of  nav- 
igation without  aid  from  the  Government.  Up  to  Hudson  certainly  the  transpor- 
tation can  be  accommodated  without  anything  being  asked  of  the  State  or  of  the 
General  Government.  But  just  above  begins  a  region  that  needs  to  be  looked 
after  by  somebody.  Now.  the  region  of  the  Mississippi  is  crying  like  the  daugh- 
ter of  the  horse-leech,  "Give  !  "  **  Give  ! "  "Give  !  "—and  what  is  the  transporta- 
tion of  the  Mississippi  compared  with  that  of  the  Hudson  ?  Here  the  people  of 
a  locality  of  a  little  more  than  20  miles  in  length  ask  of  the  General  Government 
that  their  navigation  be  put  in  a  condition  to  enable  them  to  transact  their  busi- 
ness on  a  large  scale.    That  is  all  we  ask. 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


63 


And  the  city  of  New  York  asks  a  great  deal.  New  York  is  having-  a  back 
passage  wrought  for  her  at  the  expense  of  the  Government — a  little  back  passage 
that  costs  a  great  deal  of  money.  But  we  are  not  hostile  to  New  York.  We  will 
probably  assist  her. 

I  want  to  say  another  thing,  but  I  say  it  to  the  gentleman  who  spoke  so  intel- 
ligently, though  he  spoke  with  a  little  New  York  bias.  I  want  to  call  his  atten- 
tion to  what  this  work  up  the  river  has  done  for  New  York.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  century  this  city  stood  behind  Philadelphia  as  a  port  of  commerce  and  as 
a  center  of  population,  and  what  was  it  but  the  wisdom  of  one  man  that  went 
building  up  the  State  from  the  Hudson  River  to  Lake  Erie  that  made  New  York 
what  it  is  ?  This  mart  of  commerce  would  be  unimportant  to-day  but  for  the 
wisdom  of  DeWitt  Clinton  and  the  building  of  the  Erie  Canal,  which  built  up  its 
commerce  and  was  the  means  of  putting  New  York  at  the  head  of  any  port  on 
this  continent.  And  what  has  done  New  York  so  much  good  in  past  times  can 
not  hurt  it  now.  We,  up  in  the  central  part  of  this  State,  have  always  been  proud 
of  New  York. 

It  has  been  my  fortune  to  be  connected  with  politics.  I  used  to  be  a  Democrat, 
and  in  modern  times  a  Republican.  I  have  always  been  afraid  that  New  York 
would  work  against  this  thing,  but  there  is  a  great  enlightened  body  in  New 
York  that,  I  think,  will  be  with  us.  At  any  rate,  he  that  is'not  against  us  is  for 
us.    I  think  the  gentleman  is  practically  for  us. 

I  believe  that  the  State  of  New  York,  after  I  am  lying  in  my  grave,  is  going  to 
construct  a  canal  from  New  York  to  Lake  Erie  that  will  be  out  of  cannon  shot 
of  Great  Britain..  We  are  not  going  to  be  run  over  by  the  only  nation  able  to 
cope  with  us.  John  Bull  has  got  ship  canals  that  carry  the  commerce  of  Canada 
through  all  his  possessions,  and  he  can  run  a  fleet  at  any  time  right  on  the  lakes. 
We  can  not  do  it,  but  the  time  is  coming  when  we  shall  do  it.  I  do  not  know- 
but  that  I  will  hear  the  sound  of  the  work  from  my  grave.  Now  is  the  time 
when  we  ought  to  fit  our  river  for  the  coming  canal.  That  is  what  we  are  look- 
ing to  as  well  as  our  present  business  interests.  Just  think  of  the  pressure  that 
is  being  exerted  at  Washington  by  the  Northwestern  States  and  by  our  own 
State.  Our  river  and  harbor  bills  are  the  most  beneficent  appropriations  that 
are  made  by  the  General  Government.  There  is  a  great  hue  and  cry  about  them. 
They  have  to  get  so  many  accommodated  that  not  one-fifth  of  the  members  of 
the  House  of  Representatives  are  left  out.  And  as  soon  as  the  bill  is  passed  it  is 
denounced.  Still,  I  say  that  the  appropriations  for  rivers  and  harbors  are  the 
most  beneficent  appropriations  made  by  the  General  Government.  We  are  now 
a  people  numbering  64,000.000.  and  in  twenty  years  we  shall  be  at  a  hundred  mil- 
lions, and  can  we  not  improve  a  little  space  in  the  Hudson  River  when  the  Missis- 
sippi, which,  aitnough  carrying  an  immense  amountof  water,  does  not  do  anything 
like  the  business  done  upon  the  Hudson,  is  so  well  provided  for  ? 

This  measure  is  bound  to  come.  It  may  not  be  in  the  next  Congress,  it  may 
not  be  in  the  next  but  one,  but  it  is  one  of  the  things  that  will  knock  at  the  doors 
of  Congress  until  it  is  accomplished. 

Whatever  has  been  done  to  the  State  of  New  York  to  improve  the  facilities  of 
commerce  so  as  to  bring  the  products  of  the  great  West  here  instead  of  their  go- 
ing to  Philadelphia  and  Baltimore,  has  been  done  by  the  State.  I  do  not  know 
but  that  the  State  will  construct  this  canal,  but  it  ought  to  be  done  by  the  Gen- 
eral Government.  At  present  we  simply  ask  that  the  river  be  enlarged  so  as  to 
accommodate  the  business  of  the  West,  and  the  business  of  the  North,  and  the 
business  from  Canada,  and  the  business  from  India  that  comes  over  the  great 
lines  that  enter  into  this  region  of  250,000  people,  so  that  freight  can  be  placed 
upon  the  large  vessels  there  to  go  outside  of  Sandy  Hook,  or  come  to  us  from  any 
part  of  our  immense  country,  or  from  the  outside  world. 

Mr.  Higgins.  speaking  in  regard  to  the  appropriations  made  for  the  Mississippi 
River,  said  they  were  principally  for  the  purpose  of  protecting  life  and  property 
along  its  banks,  and  that  therefore  we  have  a  right  to  make  those  appropriations. 
In  the  case  of  the  Hudson  River,  the  whole  question  is  one  of  the  merits  or  de- 
merits of  the  project.  If  found  on  investigation  to  be  for  the  interests  of  the 
people,  the  city  of  New  York  would  welcome  the  improvement.  But  as  far  as 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  was  concerned,  it  was  believed  that  the  resources  of  the 
country  are  now  exhausted  because  of  the  number  of  projects  on  foot  to  draw  from 
her  her  money,  which  is  her  life-blood,  and  the  financial  condition  of  the  Treas- 
ury is  threatened  by  the  numberless  drafts  that  have  been  made  for  similar  pur- 
poses. This  project  should  stand  upon  its  own  merits.  It  is  not  a  question  of 
whether  it  will  benefit  Albany  or  Troy,  or  any  other  place  on  the  river.  It  is  a 
question  of  whether  it  will  benefit  the  commerce  of  the  whole  country.  The 
water  ways  are  no  longer  the  great  necessity  they  were  in  former  times,  now  that 


64 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


the  railroads  have  lined  their  banks,  and  low  rates  of  transportation  have  been 

effected. 

Mr.  Townsend,  replying  to  the  allegation  that  the  country  is  exhausted  by 
river  and  harbor  appropriations,  said  that  when  he  entered  Congress,  in  the  fall 
of  1875,  the  Government  indebtedness  was  a  little  over  $2,100,000,000,  and  that 
since  that  time  the  Government  has  brought  that  debt  down  to  a  little  over 
$700,000,000,  a  reduction  of  over  $1,400,000,000,  besides  paying  the  annual  inter- 
est— that  is  the  "exhaustion  of  the  country." 

Mr.  Fred.  F.  Wheeler,  secretary  of  the  Albany  Chamber  of  Commerce,  stated 
that  he  wished  to  emphasize  one  point  that  had  already  been  referred  to,  which 
was  that  the  fact  that  New  York  State  is  the  Empire  State  and  New  York  City  the 
Empire  City  is  more  largely  attributed  to  the  Erie  Canal  than  to  any  other 
cause,  and  New  York  would  probably  lose  nothing  by  the  proposed  improvement. 
We  must  not  forget  that  the  Government  has  not  only  expended  an  immense 
amount  of  money  for  the  Mississippi  River,  but  the  Government  does  not  confine 
itself  in  its  appropriations  for  that  river  to  measures  for  the  protection  of  life 
and  property.  The  Government  has  been  making  appropriations  for  the  port  of 
Galveston  for  the  very  purpose  asked  for  here,  that  of  assisting  in  lessening  the 
cost  of  transportation.  This  is  not  a  question  of  whether  we  shall  protect  the 
interests  of  the  railroads  or  protect  the  shipping,  but  of  protecting  the  interests 
of  the  greatest  number  of  our  citizens.  The  farmers  are  compelled  to  sell  their 
produce  at  a  price  shipped  to  Liverpool,  the  market  of  the  world.  The  price 
delivered  at  Liverpool  is  the  amount  they  receive.  Now,  it  follows  that  if  the 
cost  of  transportation  is  reduced  they  will  reap  the  benefit.  It  is  an  axiom  also 
that  the  larger  the  draft  of  vessels  the  less  the  cost  of  transportation.  This  in- 
crease of  depth  in  the  channel  will  result  in  lessening  very  materially  the  cost  of 
transportation  of  these  products. 

The  object  of  this  improvement  is  not  necessarily  the  promotion  of  the  busi- 
ness interests  of  the  city  of  Albany.  Canada  has  expended  millions  in  the  im- 
provement of  her  canals,  and  is  trying  at  several  points  to  divert  the  transpor- 
tation of  Western  products  in  her  direction,  and  if  we  content  ourselves  with 
present  business  and  present  facilities  we  shall  certainly  be  left  behind.  We 
must  meet  their  efforts  by  just  such  practices.  In  addition,  he  did  not  think 
that  the  question  before  the  Board  was  one  of  appropriations.  Congress  has 
asked,  "Is  this  improvement  a  wise  one ? "  It  is  very  important  that  we  should 
find  out  whether  the  proposed  improvement  will  enable  our  Western  pr jducers 
to  ship  their  goods  through  our  ports  at  lower  rates.  Albany  and  Troy  will 
cooperate  with  New  York  in  maintaining  the  commerce  that  comes  to  our  ports 
from  all  the  markets  of  the  world,  which  commerce  will  deteriorate  if  we  con- 
tent ourselves  with  present  facilities.  The  cost  of  the  proposed  work  has  been 
stated  anywhere  from  ten  to  forty  million  dollars,  but  that  is  a  matter  upon 
which  the  Board  is  much  more  competent  to  express  an  opinion  than  others. 
The  distance  to  be  covered  is  not  great,  being  only  about  20  miles,  and  in  many 
places  the  depth  is  now  18  or  20  feet,  and  in  those  places  the  cost  would  not  be 
much.  He  regretted  that  the  gentleman  from  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  New 
York  had  not  had  time  to  investigate  the  matter  more  thoroughly.  The  bene- 
fits might  not,  in  the  gentleman's  opinion,  justify  the  enormous  expense,  but  it 
is  believed  by  those  who  have  given  the  subject  more  thorough  investigation 
that  the  work  is  directly  in  line  with  the  internal-improvement  policy  of  the 
Government. 

Mayor  W.  H.  Crombie,  of  Burlington,  Vt.,  said  that  he.  had  been  for  many 
years  connected  with  the  wholesale  lumber  trade,  and  it  wras  his  opinion  that, 
were  the  Hudson  improved  as  proposed,  a  large  amount  of  lumber  that  is  now 
exported  from  Boston  to  South  America  would  be  shipped  from  Albany  or  Troy. 
The  lumber  at  the  present  time  is  shipped  in  bond  from  Ottawa  to  Boston  and 
New  York.  The  cost  from  Ottawa  to  Albany  or  Troy  is  $25  per  car,  and  to  Bos- 
ton $39  per  car,  so  if  the  Hudson  is  deepened  as  proposed  the  cost  will  be  much 
reduced. 

Mr.  JOHN  F.  Lape,  of  Greenbush,  N.  Y.,  read  the  following,  which  he  said  he 
had  prepared  for  the  consideration  of  the  board : 

Gentlemen,  the  project  to  deepen  the  Hudson  River  provides  for  a  ship  chan- 
nel of  uniform  depth  and  width  from  Coxsackie  to  Albany  and  Troy,  so  that  ocean- 
going vessels  of  3,000  tons  capacity  can  reach  Troy  and  the  dock  of  the  Water- 
vliet  gun  foundry  at  West  Troy. 

Throughout  the  world  of  commerce  we  find  a  cry  has  been  raised  for  the  im- 
provement of  rivers  and  water  ways.  In  Europe  gigantic  works  are  now  in 
progress.  France  will  expend  $175,800,000  for  harbors  and  canals,  a  sum  larger 
than  all  that  has  been  expended  for  rivers  and  harbors  by  the  United  States 


HUDSON  EIVEE. 


65 


since  its  organization  as  a  government.  Even  the  Russians  have  been  at  work 
converting  St.  Petersburg  into  a  seaport  by  digging  a  canal  20  miles  in  length. 
Manchester,  England,  is  about  40  miles  from  Liverpool,  with  six  lines  of  railway- 
connecting  the  two  cities,  yet  a  ship  canal  will  soon  connect  the  two  cities  which 
will  require  the  removal  of  47,000,000  cubic  yards  of  earth,  at  an  estimated  cost 
of  $40,000,000.  The  Germans  are  having  surveys  made  for  a  ship  canal  across 
country  to  the  Oder  River  and  thence  to  the  Baltic  Sea. 

The  Nicaragua  Canal  will  unite  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  and  soon  become  the 
world's  great  highway. 

Water  ways  furnish  means  for  the  transportation  of  heavy  and  bulky  mer- 
chandise, such  as  coal,  iron  ore,  scrap  and  pig  iron,  stone,  and  timber,  which 
often  will  not  pay  the  cost  of  transportation  by  rail. 

With  railways  penetrating  every  section  of  our  fertile  country,  the  Great 
Lakes  of  the  West,  and  inland  water  ways,  our  home  commerce  has  grown  to 
enormous  proportions,  but  is  as  nothing  compared  with  what  the  next  score  of 
years  will  show.  From  Henry  V.  Poor's  Railway  Manual  we  learn  that  in 
1889  the  railroads  of  the  United  States  carried  619,137,237  tons  of  freight.  De- 
ducting from  this  amount  25  per  cent  for  duplication,  there  is  left  a  net  tonnage 
of  468,352,928  tons,  with  an  average  value  of  $30  per  ton,  making  a  grand  total 
of  $14,050,587,840. 

A  newspaper  published  at  Duluth  gives  some  figures  of  the  tremendous  com- 
merce of  the  Western  lakes,  and  refers  to  the  St.  Mary  Canal  as  follows:  "Dur- 
228  days  of  navigation  in  1890  there  passed  the  canal  9,041,213  net  tons  of  freight, 
valued  at  $102,215,000  at  an  average  ton  value  of  $11.31.  In  1881,  when  the  Gen- 
eral Government  assumed  control  of  the  canal,  the  value  of  the  freight  passed 
was  $28,965,000,  at  an  average  tonnage  value  of  $18.50." 

From  late  statistics,  1889,  it  is  shown  that  wheat  was  carried  on  the  lakes  for 
1  mill  per  ton  per  mile,  while  the  average  rail  freight  charged  per  ton  per 
mile  in  1889  was  5  mills.  The  commerce  of  the  Hudson  River  from  the  State  dam 
at  Troy  to  New  York  City  is  not  far  from  18,500,000  tons  per  annum,  and  of  the 
great  Mississippi,  "The  Father  of  Waters,"  about  7,500,000  tons.  By  an  act  of 
the  Forty -sixth  Congress  President  Hayes  was  given  power  and  authorized  to 
create  a  commission  to  improve  that  majestic  river,  and  up  to  the  present  time 
about  $13,000,000  have  been  expended  for  dredging,  building  dikes  and  levees 
along  the  river,  and  the  lowest  estimate  of  the  amount  necessary  to  complete 
the  work  is  $20,000,000. 

The  General  Government  and  State  of  New  York  have  expended  something 
over  $2,780,000  on  the  Hudson  River,  while  the  State  of  New  York  alone  has  ex- 
pended over  $1^5,000,000  for  construction,  maintenance,  and  operation  of  the  free 
Erie  and  other  canals  throughout  the  State.  The  present  average  tonnage  of 
the  canals  is  5,106,401  tons  per  annum,  valued  at  $150,000,000. 

The  commerce  of  the  Western  country  and  the  great  inland  lakes  has  already 
reached  such  immense  proportions  that  numerous  trunk  lines  and  water  ways  to 
the  seaboard  have  become  rivals  for  the  export  trade.  The  distance  from  Buffalo 
to  New  York  City  via  the  Erie  Canal  and  Hudson  River  is  502  miles.  From 
Port  Colborne,  Lake  Erie,  to  Montreal,  via  the  Welland  Canal  and  St.  Lawrence 
system,  is  365i  miles,  and  from  Buffalo  to  West  Troy,  via  the  Erie  Canal,  346 
miles,  or  19£  miles  shorter  than  the  Canadian  route.  To  make  Montreal  a  sea- 
port the  St.  Lawrence  River  was  dredged  through  Lake  St.  Peter  from  10£  to 
28  feet,  and  the  total  amount  expended  was  about  $5,000,000.  The  city  of  Mont- 
real is  busy  expending  $4,000,000  on  its  docks  and  wharves,  and  is  determined  to 
become  one  of  the  leading  commercial  cities  on  this  continent. 

Henry  K.  Wicksteed,  an  engineer  of  the  Province  of  Ontario,  has  a  plan  for 
the  enlargement  of  the  canals  of  Canada  so  as  to  provide  a  water  way  for  ocean- 
going steamships  from  Montreal  to  Lakes  Superior  and  Michigan.  In  a  letter 
to  a  newspaper  explaining  his  plan  he  says:  "  Ocean  steamships  moving  at  the 
rate  of  10  miles  per  hour  can  carry  and  make  money  at  one-twentieth  of  a  cent 
or  a  little  more  per  ton.  Hence,  it  is  a  foregone  conclusion  that  could  we  take 
an  ocean  steamer  to  Chicago,  Milwaukee,  Duluth,  and  Port  Arthur  they  would 
carry  nine-tenths  of  the  grain  trade." 

The  cost  of  improving  the  Canadian  canals  would  be  $70,000,000,  one-third 
more  than  the  estimate  for  the  Nicaragua  Canal.  Our  Canadian  neighbors 
should  be  commended  for  their  enterprise,  and  they  are  entitled  to  all  the  Western 
trade  they  control.  The  development  of  the  country  surrounding  the  Great 
Lakes  will  soon  need  all  the  shipping  facilities  a  dozen  seaboard  cities  can  fur- 
nish to  export  the  increasing  European  grain  and  provision  trade. 

Deepen  the  channel  of  the  Upper  Hudson  and  you  bring  Buffalo  and  the  entire 
Western  country  150  miles  closer  to  the  seaboard,  save  300  miles  towing,  and  ex- 
II.  Ex.  29  .38 


66 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


tend  the  harbor  of  commercial  New  York  to  West  Troy  and  within  346  miles  of 

Lake  Erie. 

Col.  Furman,  of  Schenectady,  said  that  the  General  Government  would  re- 
ceive a  large  benefit  from  the  proposed  improvement.  By  widening  and  deep- 
ening- the  channel  the  dredged  material  could  be  used  to  fill  up  the  shallow 
parts  of  the  river  adjoining,  making  some  20  miles  of  ground  that  could  be  util- 
ized by  the  Government  for  navy-yards  and  wharves  for  sea-going  vessels.  The 
Hudson  is  an  arm  of  the  sea,  and  the  Government  has  control  over  it,  and  is  in 
duty  bound  to  look  after  the  welfare  and  safety  of  the  people.  By  deepening 
the  river  the  gun  foundry  at  West  Troy  can  be  reached  by  war  ships.  New  York 
city  is  crowded  for  wharves  and  docks.  In  the  event  of  a  war  a  foreign  nation 
could  send  their  iron-clads  up  this  river  and  burn  up  the  city  of  New  York  and 
all  our  cities.  With  this  improvement  the  war  ships  of  the  Government  can  go 
up  to  Troy  and  be  fitted  out  with  supplies  and  steam  out  to  sea.  We  can  not 
tell  what  may  take  place,  and  it  is  very  important  that  this  river  should  be 
deepened.  It  is  the  natural  outlet  of  the  great  West,  as  all  its  commerce  goes 
down  the  Erie  Canal,  which  has  had  a  great  deal  to  do  in  making  New  York  the 
Empire  State,  and  on  which  the  General  Government  has  hardly  expended  a 
dollar.  Our  fathers  went  to  work  and  built  this  canal,  and  what  was  it  along  the 
line  of  the  canal?  A  wilderness!  Chicago  was  nothing  but  a  village  when  the 
canal  was  built,  and  to-day  it  is  the  greatest  city  in  the  West.  It  is  the  duty  of 
Congress,  under  the  Constitution,  to  look  after  the  commercial  interests  of  the 
different  States.  By  the  present  combinations  of  the  railroads  millions  come 
out  of  the  pockets  of  the  people.  The  great  commerce  of  the  Northwest  is  con- 
trolled by  the  railroads,  and  it  is  the  duty  of  Congress  to  look  after  it.  If  this 
improvement  is  not  undertaken,  freight  from  the  West  will  go  down  the  Wel- 
land  Canal,  and  vessels  will  come  direct  to  Chicago,  take  on  a  cargo,  and  go  di- 
rect to  Liverpool.  Looking  at  it  from  a  war  point  of  view,  it  is  practicable  to- 
day to  take  war  vessels  drawing  from  10  to  15  feet  of  water  through  the  Welland 
Canal,  while  we  have  nothing  to  protect  ourselves.  When  DeWitt  Clinton  went 
before  Congress  to  urge  the  building  of  the  Erie  Canal  he  was  told  that  he  was 
a  hundred  years  in  advance  of  the  age;  so  New  York  built  the  canal,  and  the 
General  Government  had  nothing  to  do  with  it.  The  Hudson  River  is  the  out- 
let for  the  great  grain  business  of  the  West,  and  this  work  ought  to  have  been 
done  years  ago;  it  will  be  the  opening  wedge  for  a  great  ship  canal,  und  if  Illi- 
nois deepens  the  Hennepin  Canal,  a  great  highway  to  the  Mississippi. 

Col.  Gillespie.  Is  there  any  other  gentleman  who  wishes  to  present  his  views 
to  the  Board  ?  The  Board  will  be  glad  to  receive  any  papers  or  memorials  in 
writing  that  any  persons  wish  to  submit  at  this  time,  and  any  person  who  may 
desire  later  on  to  present  a  report  may  do  so  in  writing.  There  will  be  no  fur- 
ther public  hearing  of  the  Board.  The  examination,  however,  has  not  been  com- 
pleted as  yet  and  will  not  be  for  some  weeks.  In  the  meanwhile  we  shall  be  glad 
to  receive  further  information  from  any  source  to  assist  us  in  our  deliberations. 

Mr.  MURRAY.  We  would  like  to  ask  that  you  report  in  favor  of  the  improve- 
ment to  Albany  and  up  to  the  head  of  tide  water  at  Troy. 

Col.  Gillespie.  There  are  three  projects  which  the  Board  has  to  consider. 
To  which  do  you  refer? 

Mr.  Murray.  We  favor  the  20  feet  of  water. 

Mr.  Wheeler.  And  also  12  feet  to  Troy. 

Col.  Gillespie  then  announced  that  he  had  just  received  another  communica- 
tion from  the  Maritime  Association  of  the  port  of  New  York,  which  he  would 
read  for  the  information  of  those  present.    The  communication  was  as  follows : 

New  York,  If  ay  13, 1891. 
At  the  meeting  of  the  board  of  directors  of  this  association  held  this  day  a 
special  committee,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Alfred  D.  Snow,  Charles  P.  Sumner,  and 
W.  Irving  Comes,  presented  the  following  report  on  the  proposed  Hudson  River 

improvement,  viz: 

"The  committee  appointed  to  consider  and  to  formulate  views  for  adoption 
by  the  association,  in  compliance  with  the  request  of  the  U.  S.  Board  of  Engi- 
neers, as  to  the  improvement  of  the  Hudson  River  proposed  in  the  river  and 
harbor  bill,  looking  to  safe  navigation  for  ocean-going  vessels  from  the  sea  to 
Albany,  respectfully  submits  the  following  report: 

11  The  subject  is  one  that  should  be  considered  with  broad  views,  having  refer- 
ence to  the  effect  not  merely  upon  the  city  or  the  State  of  New  York,  but  upon  the 
United  States  ;  not  only  the  benefit  to  citizens  engaged  in  commerce,  foreign  or 
domestic,  but  upon  the  people  at  large. 

"We  believe  that  whatever  will  tend  t  widen  and  broaden  channels  of  traffic 
within  proper  limits  will  be  for  the  best    terests  of  the  whole  country  and  pro- 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


67 


mote  its  material  prosperity.  While  by  such  improvements  some  trade  may  be 
diverted  into  unaccustomed  channels,  yet  by  stimulating  sources  of  production 
they  increase  commercial  and  mercantile  activity  for  the  general  good. 

"  The  Hudson  River  is  one  of  the  great  arteries  of  the  commerce  of  the  United 
States.  Through  its  connection  by  land  and  water  it  directly  connects  the  chief 
seaport  of  the  continent  with  the  interior,  bringing  its  products  to  the  ocean  and 
returning  needed  supplies.  It  seems  obvious  that  for  the  common  good  such 
communication  should  be  as  unobstructed  as  possible. 

"  We  would  therefore  suggest  the  following  resolution: 

"Besolved,  That  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Maritime  Association  of  the  port 
of  New  York  recommend  that,  in  conformity  with  the  river  and  harbor  bill  en- 
acted by  Congress  at  its  last  session,  the  navigation  of  the  Hudson  River  be  im- 
proved so  as  to  permit  the  safe  passage  of  ocean-going  vessels  to  Albany." 

The  board  generally  discussed  the  matter  and  the  foregoing  resolution  was 
unanimously  adopted. 

Messrs.  Alfred  D.  Snow,  Charles  P.  Sumner,  and  W.  Irving  Comes  were  des- 
ignated by  the  president  to  present  these  views  to  the  U.  S.  Board  of  Engineers 
in  the  name  of  the  association. 

Attest:  A.  C.  Elliot,  Secretary. 

New  York,  May  15, 1891. 
The  undersigned  committee,  appointed  by  the  Maritime  Association  of  the  port 
of  New  York  to  present  the  views  of  the  association,  respectfully  submit  the 
above. 

Alfred  D.  Snow. 
Charles  P.  Sumner.. 
W.  Irving  Comes. 

The  meeting  then  adjourned  sine  die. 


A. 

STATEMENT  OF  MR.  EDW.  HINCKEN. 


Cargoes  of  grain  by  sailing  vessels  from  New  York. 


Tons 
register. 

Bushels. 

Feet 
draft. 

Tons 
register. 

Bushels. 

Feet 
draft. 

468 

29,105 

17 

897 

49.386 

20 

m  376 

23,707 

17.9 

897 

50,300 

23.3 

460 

27,128 

17.9 

987 

54. 296 

20.6 

417 

25,777 

18 

852 

50, 425 

23 

642 

36, 199 

18 

1,012 

59, 871 

24.3 

698 

40,887 

19.6 

846 

48,000 

20.6 

650 

37,147 

18.6 

941 

55,122 

20.6 

776 

45,000 

20 

1,061 

50, 603 

20.6 

982 

50, 903 

20.6 

1,450 

86, 631 

23 

16,788  tons  register  carried  931,526  bushels  of  wheat — 55.48  bushels  per  ton 
register. 

22,400  tons  register  carried  1,288,179  bushels  of  corn— 57.50  bushels  per  ton 
register. 

Draft  of  water  on  the  following  cargoes  {grain). 


Bushels. 

Feet. 

Bushels. 

Feet. 

54,700 

21 

53,183 

21 

45,540 

20.6 

51,103 

20 

44,593 

19 

54,957 

21.6 

68,607 

22 

24,081 

16.6 

50, 686 

19.6 

26.907 

13.9 

35,199 

18 

60,367 

21.6 

24,031 

16.6 

39, 216 

18.6 

60,367 

21.6 

46, 381 

20 

44. 862 

20.9 

40,000 

19 

42,442 

18.6 

.  77, 725 

23 

42, 100 

19.6 

60,563 

21 

The  old  steam  tramps  will  carry  2.500  tons  on  20  feet ;  the  modern  from  2.60C 
to  2,650. 

Edwd.  Hincken. 

Lieut.  Col.  Gillespie,  U.  S.  Engineers. 


68 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


Appendix  4. 


communication  from  the  committee  on  harbor  and  shipping  of  the 
new  york  chamber  of  commerce. 

Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  State  of  New  York. 

Gentlemen:  The  committee  on  harbor  and  shipping  of  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, having  heretofore  appeared  before  your  honorable  body  in  person,  now, 
in  accordance  with  your  request,  present  to  you  the  thoughts  which  have  occurred 
to  us  in  the  consideration  of  the  question  before  you.  We  rest  with  satisfaction 
upon  the  belief  that  before  arriving  at  a  conclusion  your  very  able  body  will 
exhaust  all  available  sources  of  information,  and  will  only  recommend  the  under- 
taking upon  positive  facts  and  results  to  be  assured  thereby. 

We  are  of  opinion  that  not  less  than  20  miles  of  the  river  must  be  excavated 
from  a  present  average  of  9  feet  to  a  further  depth  of  22,  and  that  a  width  of 
not  less  than  300  feet  should  be  provided,  which  would  show  that  not  less  than 
15,000,000  cubic  yards  of  earth  and  rock  are  to  be  raised  and  taken  away,  of 
which  a  large  proportion  must  be  rock  and  of  which  the  quantity  is  unknown; 
that  large  retaining  walls  or  banks  will  probably  be  required,  and  other  extras 
always  attendant  on  all  such  work.  The  expense  in  rough  figures  will  in  all 
probability  not  be  less  than  $10,000,000  and  may  amount  to  four  times  those  figures. 
It  is  therefore  a  question  of  undertaking  this  gigantic  outlay  which  is  before 
us  and  you.  In  weighing  it  we  immediately  arrive  at  a  conclusion  that  it  can 
not  in  any  sense  or  degree  be  regarded  as  a  "  work  of  necessity." 

The  immense  exports  from  New  York  Harbor  in  1890,  amounting  to  6,258,222 
tons,  were  brought  here,  handled,  and  carried  away  without  any  real  or  apparent 
obstruction  or  retardation,  and  these  figures  represent  only  the  foreign  exports, 
whilst  the  foreign  imports  alone  equal  this  tonnage,  and  a  vast  additional  ton- 
nage arrives  here  coastwise  and  from  the  interior,  which  is  also  handled  and  dis- 
tributed with  equal,  if  not  greater,  facility. 

We  respectfully  submit  that  the  free  and  general  statements  made  to  your  hon- 
orable board  by  various  speakers  from  the  interior  as  to  the  lack  of  facilities, 
want  of  dockage,  etc.,  are  largely  imaginary.  Your  honorable  board  is  certainly 
aware  that  a  large,  unoccupied  water  front  still  exists  in  the  waters  of  the  har- 
bor, which,  if  any  crying  necessity  called  for,  could  and  would  soon  be  improved. 
The  fact  that  it  is  not  demonstrates  either  that  the  present  supply  fits  the  de- 
mand or  that  the  charges  are  so  low  for  its  use  as  not  to  encourage  further  de- 
velopment. 

We  would  suggest  that  figures  and  precise  statements  be  required  of  the  advo- 
cates of  this  project,  as  to  where  the  economy  and  saving  in  handling  is  to  be  ef- 
fected by  changing  the  point  of  handling  to  Albany.  We  very  much  doubt  the 
fact.  Be  that  as  it  may,  it  needs  no  argument  to  sustain  our  conclusion  that  the 
whole  project  is  to  be  deemed  and  considered  solely  as  one  of  "expediency,"  and 
unless  it  can  be  shown  to  you  beyond  peradventure  that  a  most  positive  advan- 
tage and  gain  to  commerce  is  certain  to  flow  from  the  improvement,  we  respect- 
fully submit  it  should  not  oe  encouraged  by  your  favorable  report. 

This  committee  can  not  look  upon  the  proposition  as  in  any  respect  changed  by 
its  being  a  request  for  the  General  Government  to  undertake  it,  from  the  light 
in  which  we  should  regard  it  were  it  a  request  for  the  State  of  New  York  alone 
to  incur  the  expense;  nor  does  it  properly  affect  its  consideration  that  it  will  in- 
cidentally benefit  the  cities  of  Albany  and  Troy,  or  even  the  State  at  large.  The 
United  States  Government  should  only  be  asked  to  undertake  works  of  national 
value  and  importance. 

The  first  objection  which  occurred  to  us  was  that  the  part  of  commerce  to  be 
affected  by  the  project  is  of  a  very  limited  character,  and,  briefly,  embraces  only 
one  class  of  vessels,  viz:  the  transient  freight-seeking  steamers,  drawing  20  feet 
of  water  and  less  when  loaded,  and  even  of  them  only  such  a  number  as  could  avail 
themselves  of  the  facility  during  the  very  brief  period  between  harvest  and  the  clos- 
ing of  the  canals,  and  again  in  spring  after  the  opening  of  the  canals  until  the 
movement  of  the  crops  ceases.  It  is  self-evident  that  the  steamers  of  the  regular 
lines  from  New  York  to  foreign  countries  have  nothing  to  gain  by  the  change, 
and  having  facilities  and  contracts  arranged  at  great  cost  and  trouble,  will  cer- 
tainly not  abandon  them  for  anything  this  project  offers.  We  think  we  do  not 
err,  therefore,  in  saying  that  only  the  transient  and  freight-seeking  steamers 
would  avail  themselves  of  the  facility  by  any  possibility. 


HUDSON  RIVER.  69 

Of  the  entire  quantity  of  merchandise  exported,  there  were  shipped  during  1890 
from  New  York: 

Tons. 

By  steamers   4,829,775 

By  sail   1,428,447 

We  think  it  may  with  equal  reason  be  assumed  that  no  sailing  vessel  would 
be  induced  to  go  to  Albany  to  load,  in  preferance  to  the  present  practice.  When 
it  is  considered  that  to-day  wheat  is  carried  from  Chicago  to  New  York  for  5  cents 
per  bushel,  it  will  be  obvious  that  no  saving  in  transportation,  by  discharging  the 
same  at  Albany,  could  possibly  counterbalance  the  additional  cost  to  a  sailing 
vessel  to  be  towed  to  Albany,  and  for  the  additional  time  of  demmurrage  to  the 
vessel  and  pay  and  maintenance  of  crew  during  the  voyage  up  and  down. 

Now,  of  the  entire  tonnage  brought  to  New  York  from  all  sources  and  by  all 
conveyances,  out  of  which  this  amount  of  6,258,222  tons  was  taken  for  foreign  ex- 
port, the  entire  tonnage  derived  from  the  canal  system  and  brought  to  tide  water 
was  3,024,765,  a  very  considerable  amount  whereof  was  distributed  within  the 
United  States  and  not  exported.  Taking  that  class  of  products  which  constitute 
the  main  traffic  of  the  canal,  which  will  be  the  most  favorable  to  it  (viz,  the 
cereals)  the  percentage  delivered  at  New  York  by  canal  was  24f  per  cent  against 
75i  per  cent  by  rail  and  other  routes.  Applying  this  percentage  to  the  total  ex- 
port, it  would  show  a  possible  total  of  1,548, 910.  tons  exported  as  having  been  the 
contribution  of  the  canals.  We  have  had  a  careful  statement  prepared  of  the  • 
proportion  of  exports  carried  by  the  regular  lines  of  steamers,  all  of  whom  have 
docks  and  facilities  in  New  York  Harbor  not  to  be  changed  by  any  additional 
facilities  of  going  to  Albany,  and  the  other  proportion  carried  by  tramps  or  out- 
side seeking  freight  steamers.  The  entire  number  of  the  latter  is  163,  to  821  of 
the  former,  and  the  tonnage  carried  respectively  is,  of  the  latter  278,831  tons, 
against  1,503,161  of  the  former.  Applying  this  wholly  to  the  tonnage  brought 
down  by  the  canals  and  estimated  to  have  been  exported,  the  total  possible  ton- 
nage is  278,831  tons.  But  it  must  also  be  borne  in  mind  that  of  this  number,  say 
163  of  outside  steamers,  those  drawing  over  20  feet  of  water  excludes  101,  and 
there  remain  only  62  of  a  capacity  of  75,390  aggregate  tons  which  could  have 
by  any  possibility  availed  themselves  of  the  results  of  this  project,  against  a  total 
of  1,706,602  tons  that  must  have  sought  the  present  available  channel  of  export. 
This  is  certainly  a  very  unimportant  item  of  commerce  to  warrant  such  an  out- 
lay. 

Second.  We  also  deem  that  nature  has  created  an  insuperable  objection  to  this 
proposed  change.  The  canals  remain  entirely  closed  for  two  hundred  and 
twenty-nine  days  (taking  an  average  of  sixty-six  years)  and  that  during  the  very 
important  seasofi  in  which  the  crops  are  moved.  The  fall  harvest  ceases  to  be 
conveyed  by  this  route  in  November,  and  begins  again  only  on  the  first  of  the 
following  May;  during  this  very  important  period  the  railroads  alone  have  to  be 
depended  on.  That  this  factor  is  a  very  serious  one  is  indicated  by  the  gradual 
usurpation  of  the  business  of  transportation  in  the  State  by  the  railroads.  A  few 
figures  will  sufficiently  indicate  this: 


1853 :  Tons. 

The  aggregate  tonnage  conveyed  by  the  canals  was   4,  247,  853 

Against  an  aggregate  by  Erie  and  Central  railroads  of  -    991,  039 

(Nearly  five  times  by  canal  over  that  by  rail.*) 

1863 : 

The  aggregate  by  canal  was  _  _   5,  557,  692 

Against  Erie  and  Central  railroads   3, 264,  700 

1873: 

The  aggregate  by  canal  was   6,364,782 

Against  Erie  and  Central  railroads  _          11,  835, 426 

1883: 

The  aggregate  by  canal  was   5,  664,  056 

Against  Erie  and  Central   24, 503, 063 

1890: 

By  canal   5,  246, 102 

By  rail   32,378,097 


The  figures  are  now  reversed. 

The  railroads  convey  six  times  more  than  canal,  and  the  aggregate  is  37,500,- 
000  tons  against  5,000,000  in  1853.  The  tonnage  by  canal  has  hardly  increased  at 
all  whilst  that  by  rail  is  3,200  per  cent  increase.  Comment  as  to  the  respective 
value  and  merit  of  the  two  modes  of  transportation  is  superfluous. 

Considering,  therefore,  the  very  small  proportion  of  the  tonnage  of  the  State 
really  transported  by  canal,  the  still  smaller  proportion  which  would  be  affected  by 


70  HUDSON  RIVER. 

this  project,  the  insuperable  objection  that  nature  has  closed  th  's  route  for  five 
months  out  of  twelve,  we  respectfully  submit  that  the  enormous  outlay  required 
will  not  be  justified  by  any  possible  beneficial  results  to  be  attained. 
Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

A.  Foster  Higgins, 
Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Harbor  and 

Shipping  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce, 

The  Board  of  United  States  Engineers  to  whom  is  referred  the  project  of  deepening  the 
Hudson  River  to  Albany,  so  as  to  admit  of  the  passage  of  vessels  drawing  20  feet  of 
water,  Lieut.  Col.  O.  L.  Gillespie,  chairman. 


Appendix  5. 

letters  and  resolutions  filed  with  the  board  op  engineers  by  the 
secretary  of  the  chamber  of  commerce,  albany,  new  york. 

letter  from  secretary  of  the  chicago,  illinois,  coal  exchange. 

Chicago  Coal  Exchange, 

Chicago,  December  16, 1890. 
Dear  Sir:  Your  favor  of  December  12,  in  reference  to  the  Chicago  Coal  Ex- 
change sending-  a  delegate  to  the  public  hearing  given  by  the  Board  of  En- 
gineers at  City  Hall,  Albany,  January  6,  1891,  duly  received  and  noted.  Our 
board  of  directors  will  hold  their  next  meeting  December  23,  and  I  will  then 
lay  your  letter  before  them,  and  will  notify  you  of  such  action  as  they  may  take 
in  the  matter. 

There  is  no  doubt  in  my  mind  that  the  improvement  contemplated  would  be 
of  vast  benefit  to  the  entire  western  country,  and  I  will  endeavor  to  present  the 
matter  to  our  board  of  directors  in  as  favorable  a  light  as  possible. 
Yours  truly, 

W.  B.  Mather, 

Secretary. 

Fred.  F.  Wheeler,  Esq., 

Secretary,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Albany,  N.  Y. 


letter  from  secretary  of  the  fargo,  dakota,  board  of  trade. 

Office  of  the  Board  of  Trade 

of  the  City  of  Fargo,  N.  Dak., 

December  16, 1890. 

My  Dear  Sir:  While  thanking  you  on  behalf  of  the  board  for  the  kind  invita- 
tion in  your  letter  of  the  11th  instant,  I  regret  to  state  that  the  circumstances 
are  such  as  to  make  it  impracticable  for  any  of  the  members  to  attend  the  pro- 
posed meeting.  However,  the  board  fully  appreciates  the  desirability  and  impor- 
tance of  the  object  in  view,  and  wishes  the  project  every  success. 
Faithfully  yours, 

C.  D.  Holmes. 

Fred.  F.  Wheeler,  Esq., 

Secretary,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Albany,  N.  Y, 

letter  from  secretary  of  the  minneapolis,  minnesota,  chamber  of 

commerce. 

Secretary's  Office,  Chamber  Commerce, 

Minneapolis,  Minn.,  December  19,  1890. 
Dear  Shi:  Replying  to  your  favor  of  the  12th  instant,  say:  I  am  instructed  by 
the  directors  of  this  association  to  notify  you  that  they  do  not  deem  it  advisable 
to  send  a  delegation  to  the  meeting  referred  to,  as  there  will  be  parties  present 
better  qualified  to  present  the  case  before  the  committee  than  any  we  could  send. 
Our  chamber  will  give  hearty  support  to  any  measure  that  will  shorten  the  dis- 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


71 


tance.  or  reduce  the  freight  charges  "between  the  Northwest  and  the  seaboard. 
If  the  proposed  deepening  the  channel  of  the  Hudson  River  will  effect  this  ob- 
ject the  enterprise  will  receive  our  support,  and  our  association  will  cooperate 
with  yours  and  others  in  securing  so  desirable  an  end. 
Yours  truly, 

C.  C.  Sturtevant, 

Secretary. 

F.  F.  Wheeler, 

Secretary,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Albany,  N.  Y. 


letter  from  secretary  of  the  mankato,  minnesota,  board  of  trade. 

Office  of  Mankato  Board  of  Trade, 

Mankato,  Minn.,  December  22,  1890. 
Dear  Sir:  This  board  acknowledges  receipt  of  your  invitation  to  attend  the 
meeting  of  the  Board  of  Engineers  on  January  6,  and  instructs  me  to  say  that 
while  it  will  probably  not  be  practicable  for  us  to  send  a  delegate  to  that  meet- 
ing, yet  we  heartily  sympathize  with  you,  and  with  all  others  who  are  endeavor- 
ing to  improve  the  internal  navigation  of  this  country,  believing  that  commerce 
is  one  of  the  most  important  factors  in  promoting  the  wealth  and  importance  of 
any  nation,  and  also  that  justice  requires  that  our  interior  towns  should,  so  far 
as  nature  has  made  it  possible,  be  granted  the  same  commercial  advantages  as 
those  enjoyed  by  the  seaport  cities. 
Yours  very  truly, 

Chas.  A.  Chapman, 

Secretary. 

Fred.  F.  Wheeler, 

Secretary. 


RESOLUTIONS  ADOPTED  BY  THE  DAVENPORT,  IOWA,  BUSINESS  MEN'S  ASSO- 
CIATION. 

f        The  Davenport  Business  Men's  Association, 

Davenport,  Iowa,  December  23,  1890. 

Dear  Sir  :  At  regular  meeting  of  our  association  held  last  evening  the  follow- 
ing resolutions  were  adopted  unanimously  : 

' '  Whereas  efforts  are  being  made  to  have  deepened  the  channel  of  the  Hudson 
River  between  the  cities  of  New  York  and  Albany,  and  a  commission  of  Army 
officers  is  about  to  examine  and  report  on  the  feasibility  of  the  project;  and 

;'  Whereas  the  accomplishment  of  such  work,  if  so  done  as  to  admit  the  passage 
on  such  portion  of  said  river  of  vessels  of  3,000  tons  burden,  would  operate  to  the 
great  advantage  of  the  West :  Therefore, 

"Resolved,  That  the  Business  Men's  Association  of  Davenport,  Iowa,  most 
heartily  indorses  this  project." 

Henry  T.  Denison, 

Secretary. 

Fred.  F.  Wheeler,  Esq., 

Secretary,  Chamber  of  Commerce  Albany,  N.  T, 


resolutions  of  detroit,  michigan,  board  of  trade. 

Detroit  Board  of  Trade, 
Detroit,  Mich.,  December  28, 1S90. 

Whereas  the  Secretary  of  War  has  appointed  a  commission  of  three  United 
States  engineers  to  examine  and  to  report  a  plan  and  estimates  of  the  cost  of  deep- 
ening the  channel  of  Hudson  River  between  Coxsackie  and  Troy,  a  distance  of 
about  20  miles;  and 


72 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


Whereas  the  Board  of  Trade  of  the  city  of  Detroit  regard  existing  waterways 
and  all  water  communication  between  the  West  and  the  East  as  great  regulators 
to  the  cost  of  transportation  both  ways,  and  that  without  doubt  they  insure  cheap 
transportation  rates  on  all  products  moving  toward  the  seaboard  :  Therefore  be  it 

Besolved,  That  if  the  proposed  improvement  is  found  to  be  practicable  and  ex- 
pedient, this  association  heartily  favors  the  deepening  of  the  Hudson  River  chan- 
nel between  the  points  named  sufficient  to  admit  the  passage  of  ocean  crafts  of 
3,000  tons  tonnage  as  far  as  Troy,  N.  Y.,  the  terminus  of  the  Erie  Canal. 

[seal.]  Geo.  M.  Lane. 

Secretary. 


LETTER  FROM  PRESIDENT  AND  SECRETARY  OP  CLEVELAND,  OHIO,  BOARD  OP 

TRADE. 

Board  op  Trade  Rooms,  Atwater  Block, 

Cleveland,  Ohio,  December  27, 1890. 
Dear  Sir  :  Your  favor  of  12th  instant  has  been  received  and  carefully  noted. 
While  fully  appreciating  the  importance  to  the  great  West  of  deepening  the 
channel  of  the  Hudson  River,  and  favoring  the  project,  as  far  as  our  influence 
may  go,  it  is  not  possible  for  us  to  send  a  delegate  to  your  "  public  hearing  "  on 
January  6,  1891.    We  are  greatly  obliged  to  you  for  advising  us  of  your  meeting. 

Wm.  Edwards, 

President. 
A.  J.  Begges, 

Secretary. 

Fred.  F.  Wheeler,  Esq., 

Secretary  Chamber  Commerce,  Albany,  N.  Y. 


letter  prom  president  op  the  burlington,  iowa,  board  op  trade. 

Board  op  Trade, 
Burlington,  Iowa,  December  29,  1890. 

Dear  Sir  :  Your  favor  of  the  11th  instant  to  the  secretary  of  the  Burlington 
Board  of  Trade  has  been  handed  to  me.  The  subject  of  the  improvement  of 
water  transportation  by  the  use  of  rivers,  lakes,  and  canals  is  one  which  always 
enlists  the  earnest  interest  of  the  shippers  of  the  great  Northwest.  We  under- 
stand how  greatly  this  section  of  the  country  is  dependent  upon  the  water  routes 
for  the  reasonable  rates  of  toll  which  we  pay  to  the  seaboard.  As  residents  of  a 
city  upon  the  great  Mississippi  River,  the  Burlington  Board  of  Trade  fully  ap- 
preciate the  benefit  of  the  improvement  of  our  rivers.  We  recognize  the  fact 
that  the  cost  of  transportation  on  the  lines  of  railroad  which  parallel  our  water 
courses  are  much  less  than  on  other  lines  of  railroad,  and  that  this  result  is  pro- 
duced entirely  by  reason  of  the  regulation  which  the  water  courses  affect  in  the 
cost  of  transportation.  Under  these  circumstances  we  heartily  indorse  any 
worthy  effort  for  the  improvement  of  our  navigable  streams.  There  certainly 
is  no  river  in  the  United  States  which  should  receive  greater  consideration  than 
the  Hudson  River,  and  the  deepening  of  the  channel  proposed,  so  as  to  admit  of 
the  passage  of  larger  vessels,  is  a  matter  which  should  enlist  the  earnest  support 
of  the  producers  and  shippers  of  the  entire  Northwest. 

I  have  not  been  able  to  find  a  delegate  who  can  spare  the  time  to  attend  the 
public  hearing  to  be  given  by  the  Board  of  Engineers  at  Albany  on  the  6th  of 
January,  but  I  have  to  report  that  the  subject  meets  with  the  approval  of  all  our 
people  and  I  am  sure  that  if  we  had  a  representative  present  he  would  give  the 
matters  words  of  hearty  support  and  encouragement. 
Respectfully, 

Phtltp  M.  Crapo, 

President. 

Fred.  F.  Wheeler, 

Secretary  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Albany,  N.  Y, 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


73 


letter  from  president  of  the  st.  paul,  minnesota,  chamber  of 

commerce. 

St.  Paul  Chamber  of  Commerce, 

St.  Paul,  Minn.,  January  2,  1891. 
Dear  Sir  :  Your  kind  invitation  received.    We  shall  hardly  be  able  to  be 
with  you.  in  a  body — or  the  body — only  in  spirit. 

Stick  to  water,  deep  water ;  and  receive  the  benediction  of  St.  Paul  in  your 
efforts. 

Wishing  you  a  good  time,  and  good  success,  we  remain, 
Yours  truly, 

Daniel  R.  No  yes, 
President  (for  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  St.  Paul). 
Secretary  Chamber  of  Commerce, 

Albany,  N.  Y. 


letter  from  secretary  of  the  chicago,  illinois,  board  of  trade. 

Board  of  Trade  of  the  City  of  Chicago, 

Secretary's  Office, 
Chicago,  January  2,  1891. 
Dear  Sir  :  Referring  to  your  esteemed  favor  of  the  11th  instant,  which  was 
duly  acknowledged  and  referred  to  the  appropriate  committee  of  this  board. 

I  am  directed  by  vote  of  the  board  of  directors  to  express  approval  of  that 
body  of  the  plan  described  in  your  communication  to  deepen  the  Hudson  River 
from  Coxsackie  to  Troy.  This  board  appreciates  the  importance  of  the  canal 
and  river  system  of  your  State  to  the  commerce  of  the  West  and  Northwest,  and 
its  importance  as  a  regulator  to  the  cost  of  transportation. 

The  board,  however,  regrets  that,  owing  to  the  multiplicity  of  duties  and  in- 
terests which  demand  its  attention,  particularly  at  the  beginning  of  the  new 
year,  it  is  not  possible  to  accept  your  kind  invitation  and  send  a  delegate  to  the 
public  hearing  in  the  City  Hall,  Albany,  on  January  6,  next. 
Very  respectfully, 

Geo.  F.  Stone, 
Secretary. 

Fred.  F.  Wheeler,  Esq., 

Secretary  Chamber  Commerce,  Albany ,  N.  Y. 


letter  from  the  mayor  of  the  city  of  new  york. 

Mayor's  Office, 
New  York,  January  2, 1891. 
My  Dear  Sir  :  I  regret  exceedingly  that  the  nature  of  my  present  engage- 
ments in  this  city  precludes  my  acceptance  of  the  courteous  invitation  extended 
to  me  by  the  Albany  Club  to  be  present  at  the  reception  to  be  tendered  by  it 
to  the  visiting  delegates  to  the  hearing  before  the  United  States  Commission 
upon  the  Hudson  River  deepening. 

I  am  pleased,  though,  to  have  this  opportunity  of  expressing  my  hearty  ap- 
proval of  this  or  any  other  undertaking  which  may  tend  to  the  improvement  of 
our  State  commerce. 
Truly  yours, 

Hugh  J.  Grant. 

J.  Howard  King,  Esq., 

President,  etc.,  Albany,  N.  Y. 


letter  from  the  mayor  of  oswego,  new  york. 

Mayor's  Office, 
Oswego,  N.  Y.,  January  S,  1891. 
Gentlemen:  Yours  extending  to  me  an  invitation  to  attend  the  hearing 
before  the  United  States  Commission  upon  the  deepening  of  Hudson  River  at 
hand,  and  contents  noted. 


74 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


Permit  me  to  thank  you  for  the  invitation,  and  to  express  m^  regret  at  being 
unable  to  attend.    Earnestly  hoping  that  such  success  shall  crown  the  effort 
made  as  will  redound  to  the  good  of  our  great  State,  I  am, 
Yours, 

Edward  Mitchell, 
Mayor  of  Oswego,  N.  T. 

The  Albany  Chamber  of  Commerce. 


LETTER  FROM  PRESIDENT  OF  THE  FIRST  NATIONAL  BANK,  SYRACUSE,  NEW 

YORK. 

First  National  Bank, 
Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  January  5,  1891. 
My  Dear  Sir:  Your  kind  invitation  for  to-morrow  evening  is  received. 
I  regret  that  I  can  not  be  present,  but  desire  to  express  great  interest  in  the 
work  you  hope  to  accomplish. 
Respectfully,  yours, 

E.  B.  JUDSON. 

Mr.  J.  Howard  King. 


letter  from  the  mayor  of  orange,  new  jersey. 

Mayor's  Office, 
Orange,  N.  J.,  January  5, 1891. 
Dear  Sir:  Your  kind  invitation  to  be  present  at  a  reception  to  the  visiting 
delegates  to  the  hearing  before  the  United  States  Commission  upon  the  Hudson 
River  deepening  duly  received. 

If  I  could  be  present  with  you  it  would  be  my  pleasure  to  express  my  approval 
of  any  effort  which  has  in  view  the  furtherance  of  increased  facilities  for  trans- 
portation between  New  York  and  Albany,  or  I  might  rather  say  New  Jersey  and 
Albany,  for  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  New  Jersey  is  desirous  of  having  an  in- 
crease of  its  cordial  intercourse  with  your  city. 
Very  truly  yours, 

Henry  H.  Truman. 

J.  Howard  King,  Esq., 

President  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Albany,  N.  T. 


letter  from  the  mayor  of  cleveland,  ohio. 

City  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  Executive  Department, 

January  5,  1891. 

Dear  Sir:  I  am  in  receipt  of  the  courteous  invitation  to  attend  a  reception  to 
visiting  delegates  for  Tuesday  evening,  6th  instant,  for  which  please  accept 
thanks. 

It  will  be  impossible  for  me  to  be  with  you  in  person,  but  I  can  heartily  express 
a  wish  that  the  efforts  being  made  to  secure  the  cooperation  of  the  Federal  Gov- 
ernment in  providing  a  deep-water  channel  right  up  to  the  wharves  of  Albany 
may  prove  successful. 

The  authorities  should  keep  pace  with  the  marvelous  progress  in  commerce 
all  over  our  wonderful  country,  by  a  liberal  provision  in  water-way  improvements 
especially,  and  no  short-sighted  niggardliness  should  prevail. 
Your  friend, 

Geo.  W.  Gardner,  Mayor. 

J.  Howard  King,  Esq., 

President,  Albany,  N.  T. 


letter  from  the  secretary  of  the  cleveland,  ohio,  vessel  owners' 

association. 

The  Cleveland  Vessel  Owners'  Association. 

Ctevel&nd,  Ohio.  January  5,  1891. 
Sir:  The  Cleveland  Vessel  Owners'  Association  will  hold  its  annual  meeting 
on  the  13th  instant,  and  I  regret  very  much  that  it  is  impossible  to  call  a  meet- 


HUDSON  RIVER. 


75 


ing  before  that  time,  on  account  of  the  absence  of  members  in  different  parts  of 
the  lakes  looking  after  various  interests.  The  importance  of  improvements  in 
the  shallow  parts  of  the  channel  of  the  Hudson  River  is  recognized  here,  and 
after  a  talk  with  the  members  of  the  board  of  directors  I  am  satisfied  that,  had 
there  been  a  possibility  of  a  meeting  in  time,  our  association  would  certainly  send 
a  representative  to  the  Albany  conference.  There  was  delivered  from  the  North- 
west at  Buffalo  during  the  season  ended  last  month  118,958,102  bushels  of  grain 
of  all  kinds,  for  shipment  to  the  seaboard,  principally  by  the  way  of  the  Erie 
Canal.  From  this  it  can  readily  be  seen  that  the  canal  and  river  system  of  your 
State  renders  a  great  service  to  the  Northwest  as  a  regulator  of  transportation 
rates,  and  it  is  unfortunate  that  we  can  not  have  a  representative  at  the  confer- 
ence on  the  6th  instant  to  more  fully  discuss  this  matter. 
Yours,  truly, 

Geo.  P.  McKay, 
Secretary  and  Treasurer. 

Fred.  F.  Wheeler, 

Secretary  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Albany,  N.  Y. 


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